Shadow the Hedgehog 2: Maria's Return - Part 1
by Harvey Who
Summary: From the heart of the universe, a great evil was exiled to our world. Upon his release, his intentions are to wield the power of the Spirit Stones, and conquer all the realms in Mundus. But two heroes, long separated, shall unite. In out tongue, they are the 'Protectors of Man'... Jul Kendov. It is their destiny to find the true power of the Great Spirit, and save the universe.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER**

**Story based on the fan-fiction "Return of Maria Robotnik" by Louise F. Andersen (visit _Deviantart_ ****for original version). Material is primarily property and trademark of SEGA and Sonic Team. Jack is a derivative of Shard "Jack" the Metal Sonic from Archie Comic Publications Inc. Any alienated names have been adopted from the Bionicle series. Specific areas of this fanfiction come from different forms of Sonic the Hedgehog media, which includes comics, games and television (This does not include any other fan-fiction). Unfamiliar dialogue adopted from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda, 2011) Translations provided by fan-based website thuum . org**

**WARNING**

**Contains material that may be disturbing to some readers. Parental discretion is advised.**

* * *

**Prologue**

_**Legend of the Guardians**_

_**The Immortals of Mata Nui**_

* * *

Deep in the heart of Mundus – the universe – there was a realm with no name. From this world, a race of immortals called the Kendov watched over all of the Great Spirit's creation in tranquility and harmony.

Long ago, the Kendov delve into their realm, and at its core, they found a boundless abundance of crystals. These majestic gems granted their bearer extraordinary power and could even save the bearer from death. It was believed that their strength came from the Great Spirit Himself; thus, they were deemed the "Spirit Stones." The ruler of their world believed this power should not dwell among the immortal alone. He crafted two rings to control the power, and through them, he sent the Spirit Stones into the universe, giving a number to each and every mortal world. It was a time of great joy and prosperity for all, and in his honor, the Kendov named their home world "Mata Nui," after their wise and kind ruler.

But like all great power, some sought such for color and delight; others for chaos and destruction. The worst of these was the king's elder son, Makuta. He grew envious of his father's honors and betrayed him. He cast a curse over Mata Nui, who fell into an eternal slumber. Makuta was free to unleash his shadows, and unleash them, he did. Like a plague, they spread and consumed the realm of Mata Nui, and the Dark War had begun. It was war without end… one that would spread and destroy the realms of Mundus.

As their father was laid to rest, the Great Spirit came to Makuta's younger brother, Takanuva, through the lifeless body. He foretold of a great city forged by a man He called 'the Professor.' Should the eldest continue down his current path, a man of darkness and a woman of light would descend to the world below their land. These two would find Ziilot Suleyk – the true power of the Great Spirit – and through it, they would restore peace to Mundus.

Makuta knew of this. He set out to change his fate, but what he did next only sealed it. Learning what his brother had done, Takanuva managed to defeat his brother and banish him to wander the stars for eternity. On that day, Makuta swore vengeance. He would one day return to his home world, and all of creation would be punished for his suffering.

With great fear in his heart, Takanuva pleaded to the Great Spirit for protection. Once again, the Great Spirit told the Takanuva about the two chosen heroes in his foretellings. Unbeknownst to Makuta, they were not destroyed, but merely separated. They would be preserved from time's touch, and on Yuvon Eruvos – the Year of Gold – their hearts shall unite them once more. With his knowledge of the prophecy, the younger brother set out with a number of his followers to Earth. Who these two truly were was unknown to Takanuva, but he knew it was their destiny to save Mundus.

This is the story of the Jul Kendov – 'Protectors of Man' – foretold by the Great Spirit. It is a tale of love.

* * *

**Shadow the Hedgehog 2**

**Maria's Return**

* * *

**Part 1**

**Angel of the Past**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**The First Encounter**

Maria Robotnik.

A single child of two loving parents in the small town of Station Square. The ideal image of 'Daddy's little angel,' or 'the girl next door,' sweet and innocent. Her hair; like gold, woven with silk. Her body; small and frail, with a surface as smooth and as soft as that of an infant's. And her eyes… they say the eye is the window to the soul. Hers were like a window to a cloudless expanse of sky with an source of pure light at its core.

A mere glimpse, and one would assume she was a pure and spotless child. But she had one flaw. A unique, horrifying, unpredictable flaw that coursed within her blood. One that poisoned her body slowly and at times painfully, until it eventually carried her to the grave. Worst of all… no cure was ever found.

But the flame of hope had not been doused by defeat yet. Her grandfather was said to be the greatest mind of his time. With his newest mission intact, he decided that she should live with him in his hopes to find a cure. Her parents reluctantly agreed, knowing it was perhaps their only hope for their daughter, and the young girl was delighted to visit her grandfather. But she did not realize that her grandfather's home was out of this world.

Literally… out of this world.

* * *

High in the skies of the Earth, a large station called Space Colony ARK circled the planet. This grand society was built and lead by the endangered girls' grandfather himself… Professor Gerald Robotnik. He, along with many of the most brilliant minds from Earth, devoted their time up there for the better of mankind through endless research and experiments. Of course, there were many other individuals who treated the giant laboratory like home.

One night, the lights on the station had been turned off and everyone was in bed. But Maria was wide awake. She was alone and very lonely. She wanted to sleep in her parents' bed and feel the comfort of their presence, but she knew this couldn't be. Her grandfather had offered that she could spend the night in his room, but she had refused. She wanted to prove to him and the others she was mature. In retrospect, that was a mistake.

As she lay in bed, the little girl realized something in particular was missing… her favorite toy cat and only possession on this alien place. She thought back for a moment to when she was in Gerald's office. That was the last place she had been before she went to bed. Perhaps it was there?

She jumped out of bed and hurried for the exit. The darkness and total silence in the hall scared her, so she ran at full speed to the office. Once there, she had to jump as high as she could to push the button that would allow her to pass. The door opened with a loud swoosh, and she stepped inside and started to look around.

She remembered that she had placed her toy on the desk in front of a computer screen. She had found it very interesting, and she wanted it to see as well. But alas, it was gone. She started to cry, but no one came to comfort her and that only made things worse. Her tears fell short when she suddenly heard a voice.

"Are you okay?"

Maria stood completely still and listened to make sure there were no others in the area. As far as she could see, she was completely alone.

"Are you okay?" the voice repeated.

Maria was certain she wasn't alone now. When the girl realized it came from behind her, she took a deep breath and turned around. Her eyes widened in shock.

There, now in front of her, was a dark humanoid creature with red stripes on its head and limbs. The moment they made eye contact, she panicked and ran to the opposite side of the desk. "D-d-don't eat me! I-I taste bad!"

"Why…Why would I want to do that?"

She heard the voice a third time and looked around, but there was no one else besides her and the unknown animal. "You can talk?" she asked him.

The creature didn't respond, at least not at first. Instead, he smiled at her. It was a small, frightened smile, but it made the small beast look kind and gentle. And it made Maria feel less afraid. "It's alright. I heard you crying so I came over to help. Is something wrong?"

Maria wanted to smile back, but she was still scared. She didn't know whether to answer him, scream for help, or race back to her room as fast as she could. But the little girl didn't move. She could not take her eyes off this strange creature. "What are you? Are you a robot bear or something?" she finally asked.

"N-No. I'm real, and I'm not a bear. I'm a hedgehog," the animal replied.

"A hedgehog…?" The girl was now more curious than scared. She came a little closer, now able to see the thing's face. Getting a better look at the black and red creature, it better resembled a five-year-old boy in an animal costume. Yet it sounded like it was ten years of age. "You don't look like one."

"Well… I'm not a normal one. I'm a…" He paused and looked slightly puzzled. "What's that word again…? A Mobian! That's it!"

Maria looked a little uneasy at him. All the while, she was amazed. She had heard of these outstanding life forms, but since they were native to the neighboring planet of Mobius, there were few if any on Earth. "You sure you are not a robot?"

"If I were, would I be wearing this?" The tiny ebony hedgehog pointed down to show he was wearing a diaper. "The professor says I'm not 'toilet-trained' yet. I'm not sure what that means, but I'm not gonna argue with him. He is pretty smart," he said with admiration, and then he looked a little annoyed at the fabric wrapped around his bottom. "Of course, that doesn't mean I always like what he wants me to do…"

The little girl giggled at those words.

"It tends to smell…" he mumbled and wrinkled his nose.

Maria burst out in laughter.

"What?" the confused hedgehog asked.

"You! What you just said was funny, and… actually, you're kinda cute," she giggled.

"Uh… Thanks." The alien being started to look a little shy. He had been called many things, but this was a first.

"My name's Maria, by the way... Maria Robotnik. Do you have a name?" she asked him.

The creature smiled, now seeming more relaxed. "I'm Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog. What're you doing, anyway? It's against the rules to be wandering around at night."

"I'm sorry. I was looking for something. It's a toy cat with a blue bow…"

"Wait. You mean this?" Shadow reached behind his back and pulled something out.

"Little-Love!" The little girl exclaimed gladly and he grabbed him and the toy in a hug. "Oh, thank you; thank you; thank you! Where'd you find it?"

"I found it under the desk drawers. I was going to keep it, but if it's yours…"

The girl looked down at the desk and noticed that there were no legs. It was like two sets of drawers holding up a table. "Isn't that heavy?"

"Well, I don't like to brag, but…" He grabbed he desk with one hand, and he lifted it in the air like though were made of plastic. "Ta-dah!" he said proud when he sensed her astonishment. Before he set the desk down, he noticed something else was underneath… "Oh, there's the Chaos Emerald!"

"The 'What Emerald'?"

"Chaos Emerald," Shadow explained. "It's a special gem that gives me amazing powers. For example…" He held the stone out and drew out the energy from within. "Chaos Control!"

In a bright flash, the ebony hedgehog was gone. The girl was about to call out to him, but then he walked in through the door. "Wow! How long could you do that?" Maria asked out of amazement.

"Uh… forever, I guess?"

"Does anyone else know you're so strong? Maybe your mom or dad?" She fell silent as she noticed he didn't look happy after that. "What's wrong?"

"I… I don't have any parents."

"What? You're an orphan?"

"No… I'm an experiment. I was made by Professor Robotnik to be the 'Ultimate Lifeform'… whatever that is," he said, a little sad. "I have no mom or dad, no sisters or brothers… I'm all alone."

Maria could see how much he was hurting. She wished she could help him, and then, she knew how she could. "Well, the truth is… apart from my grandpa, I'm all alone, too." She placed a hand on the hedgehog's shoulder. "Shadow, you're the only friend I've ever had," she said with a small smile.

"I… I am?" He asked and smiled.

"Yeah, Shadow, and friends stick together forever." In the same moment she said those words, she embraced him. Shadow, feeling much better, returned the gesture.

The die had been cast. So began an enduring, life-long friendship, and they loved it.

* * *

Seven years passed, and doing the time, the bond between human and hedgehog had strengthened exponentially. They were virtually inseparable. Rarely would a week go by where they didn't see each other at least once, even if it was just a passing glance.

The now teenaged human girl smiled to herself as she looked back at these pleasant memories. She then looked around to check if everything she needed was there. She had planned a surprise picnic for her best friend at the Green Hills Park, a section of the colony filled with trees and grass to make the station feel more like home.

Soon, the girl heard footsteps in the distance. A quick glance around the tree, and she saw a certain Hedgehog. Though a teenager by human standards, he was now a mature adult by Mobian standards. When he was close enough, Maria leaned against the tree, her arms crossed. "You're late."

Shadow stopped in his tracks, and then he looked up at the human. "I am never late, Miss Robotnik," he said. "Nor am I early. I arrive precisely when I intend to."

For a moment, they glared at each other, silent as the field around them. Then, Shadow slightly chortled and Maria giggled. And it wasn't long before they laughed and embraced. As the time rolled on that day, the two enjoyed a nice, friendly picnic on the top of the hill.

The space garden seemed to always melt away their everyday troubles and relax them. The sun shining through the glass dome above their heads, the leave rustling or the occasional bird's wing brushing the air, the distant sound of children laughing… they loved it. It was about as close to Earth as they could get from up there.

"Seriously though, sorry I'm late," Shadow told Maria some time later. "Your grandfather needed me in the lab while they tested what he calls a 'medical revolution.'"

"Really?" his friend asked. "They finally cured the common cold, didn't they?"

"Let's not get carried away," he said, rather smugly. "It's a device that transforms limbs with critical wounds or irremovable tumors into machinery."

"Oh, you mean the Roboticizer."

"That's it!" he grinned.

"Well, I'll let it go this once, but I don't think you should have to work on your birthday."

The hedgehog smiled in agreement. He was pleased to know she remember today was the day he was created ten years earlier. She and the Professor were the only ones who called it his birthday and not 'the anniversary of his creation,' like most others. Personally, he preferred it to be called that. It made him feel more normal.

"Oh, that reminds me." The girl pointed over the horizon to an opening that had several tents and pavilions being set up. "Don't tell anyone I told you, but that's your party they're setting up."

Shadow was surprised. "They're really going that far?" he asked.

"What did you expect? A cupcake and a handful of confetti? You're a hero to everyone on the ARK."

"'Everyone' meaning 'you and Gerald?'" he asked back. "The rest see me as a monster. And don't deny it. I haven't forgotten about 'Don't eat me! I taste bad!'"

She giggled. "Well, I was young and naïve back then. But in the end, that 'monster' became my best friend."

"Yeah, right. I'm your only friend," he replied, "which, in and of itself, is why I'm your only friend."

"Many others have come and gone with… questionable pasts. We've learned to trust them, so we can do it with you as well."

"In theory, but they had friends to vouch for them. If you were to say, 'He's great, and here's all the good he's done,' people would listen." The black hedgehog sighed. "And what the most you can say about me? 'Shadow…? Oh, yeah. He's a nice guy. My grandfather made him with the help of evil aliens, but no big deal, right?'"

"Or," Maria rebutted, "I can say you're defying your bloodline to be something – _**someone **_better."

Shadow thought for a small moment. Then he smiled. "I don't get how someone can see the good in others as well as–!" But before he could finish, Gerald's voice called out through the speakers, calling Maria to his office.

"It's probably just another checkup," Maria remarked as she stood up. "Keep an eye out for me at the party. I've got a surprise for you." But before she left, she looked back at the Mobian and called out to him. "Hey,' she began, and he turned to her. "Never alone, always together…"

Her friend smiled. "Maria and Shadow, best friends forever." As she left, he looked back at the party being set up. He always believed there was good in him, and she made that clear for him just now. "Maria, old friend," he said quietly, "this will be a night to remember."

* * *

The birthday boy was right, but in the wrong way. As they prepared to party, a large dark object approached the colony. It was not a ship from Earth, but rather from somewhere else. The passengers onboard were specially chosen for this purpose.

Their leader observed the ARK full of rage. "The city of the Professor. Qostiid Ziilot lost gon. The prophecies of the Great Spirit have already begun." He turned to the horde of monstrous aliens behind him. "Go, my disciples. Wah Ausul voth fah joore. Send the mortals to Oblivion! Leave none alive!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Eggman's Plan**

* * *

The small, isolate islands of the Atlantic Ocean were not exactly a suitable location to inhabit. Such is why Doctor Eggman, being a man of less taste, decided to set up his 'secret' fortress there to begin with. As he built his army of robots for global domination, those tiny landmasses slowly lost space hold his force. He then stopped power to the robot assembly line to build his flying fortress named the 'Death Egg.'

As he was sitting in his office, he was studying an old scroll. It had information of an entity trapped beneath the Earth's surface. With it, he had the idea to track it down and harness its power to fuel his more powerful weapons. He might have found it, too, if not for his enemies, the Freedom Fighters.

Behind him, three mechanical minions came in. Every few years, he gets some new ones. These models were named Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun. The third, a small flying one, was carrying a plate of food. "Here's you go, Doctor! One Salmon Eggs Benedict, hot from the grill!" he said in his usually childish voice.

The old man stood up. He yawned as he accepted the plate. Upon quick inspection, an arrogant shrug emitted from the doctor. "I asked for egg whites. These are yellows. See the yellow? I'm trying to watch my cholesterol. And this salmon is farm-raised! What is this, prison?!"

Decoe then looked down at the scroll on the desk. "Is this the tale about that creature we're looking for?"

Eggman nodded. "Although I think we should give up on our search. That last cave-in nearly killed me." He sighed in despair. "It's moments like that where you think of how fragile life is… That may have been the end of not just me, but my entire life's work as well."

"The end of the great Dr. Ivo Robotnik? That would never happen!" Bokkun tried to encourage his maker.

Eggman was not affected. Instead, he got an odd expression on his face combined with a sudden sadness and despair. "What will happen when I'm gone? What'll happen to my empire and all my brilliant work? Will it just vanish? Or will there be anyone to take over...? "

"Well, there is us..." Bocoe tried.

"Yeah, we could be your heirs, if it'll make you feel better." Decoe added.

"An heir..." the old Doctor mumbled.

"Oh yes, Doctor! We'll be the best heirs in the whole world! Oh, please say yes!" Bokkun exclaimed. He definitely liked the idea of being his next of kin.

But his master simply shook his head. "It doesn't count."

"What do you mean?" Bokkun asked when his dreams suddenly crashed.

"The most suitable heir will be one of my flesh and blood."

"But you don't have any living relatives," Bocoe reminded him. "Not since your nephew, Snively, went rogue and ran away."

"True," the doctor replied and was suddenly all thoughtful.

"Then what else? The only thing I could think of as a possibility would be a child, but… aren't you a little too old to have one?"

"THAT'S IT!" the Doctor suddenly exclaimed. "The perfect heir would of course be my own son!" He stood up.

The all three robots look at each other in a bit of shock and back at the doctor. "But how is this going to happen? You don't have a wife," Bocoe pointed out.

Bokkun looked at them puzzled. "What would he need a wife for? How are babies created?" he asked.

If robots could blush, both Decoe and Bocoe would undoubtedly be all red. "It's, uh... complicated," the latter said.

"Bah! I know of another way. To the secret lab!" Eggman said and started to leave the room.

The robots go after him all silent. They followed him through a dark corridor to an area which they haven't been in that much.

At the end of the hallway, the doctor stopped in front of a door with two switches, one on each side of the door. "Pull the lever, Bokkun!" he demanded.

The small one was confused. He wasn't sure which one to pull. So he made a choice and pulled one of them, only to make the doctor fall through a trapdoor.

"WRONG LEVER…!" he shouted as he fell. Fortunately for him, he landed in a pool of water.

"Oops…"

Another door opened, and a very wet old man appeared. "Why do we even have that lever?" he asked as he squeezed the water out of his mustache. He then threw the other switch, and the door opened. "Step inside, but keep your hands to yourselves until further instructed," he said and stepped inside.

When they were in the unknown room, he threw on the light to reveal a giant machine with two large pods and a monitor in the middle with a keyboard. Then metallic lackeys looked puzzled by this sight.

Bokkun is the first to break the silence. "What is it, Doctor?" he asked amazed.

"That," he began, "is a cloning device, made by a scientist from Space Colony ARK... Professor Louise Andersen, I think. However, the project was never completed…" He paused for a moment. "Anyhow, I found it when I visited the ARK the second time, after the Black Arms attacked. It only needed a few pieces which I had in storage, so now, it should be fully functional."

"Do you know how to operate and power it?" Decoe asked.

"I found instrustions in her log book. To create a clone with it, you need an artificial Chaos Emerald specially made for the occasion. Andersen claims it will provide the clone with life energy... a spirit, if you believe in such nonsense."

"Do you know where it is?" Bocoe asked.

"Right here," Eggman opened a nearby drawer and pulled out a bright glowing pendant on a small string. It shone even more than a normal crystal.

"That is a Chaos Emerald?" the robots had never seen one so small.

"Andersen called it the 'Soul Stone' to be precise. Now, let's get down to business, shall we?" Eggman opened one of the pods and placed the stone inside. Then he looked into the log book. "Hmmm, let's see… five pounds of hamburger, a dozen eggs, and fourteen ounces of mixed vegetables." He pointed to the three robots. "I want you to go to the kitchen and collect those ingredients. Mix it in the biggest pot you can find, and bring it here."

"I thought you were watching your cholesterol," Bokkun reminded him.

"Not for me, you dunderhead! For the clone!" snapped the doctor. "It needs something to grow from, and from what I know, this recipe contains all nutrition a body needs. Now, get cooking! No pun intended."

"Yes, Doctor Eggman!" they all exclaimed and marched out of the room.

In the kitchen, Decoe grabbed the largest pot he could find, Bokkun took the meat from the fridge, and Bocoe found the remaining ingredients. In a few minutes, they were back in the lab, where they mixed the ingredients until it formed a puce-colored mass.

"Is it ready?" the Doctor asked.

"I think so." Bocoe said while he stirred the mass.

Eggman grabbed a spoon and mixed it a couple of times. "It's ready. Pour it in that tank." he pointed at a big tank that connected the two pods. Decoe came and assisted Bocoe with the pouring. The doctor looked quite satisfied. "Excellent." He went to the control panel and pushed a few buttons before the other pod opened.

"What's going to happen next?" Decoe asked.

"It's quite simple. I go to the other and add a DNA sample. Then, science will do the rest," he pulled a hair off his mustache and threw it in. Then, after pressing a big red button, the machine started to whine as it warmed up. "This will take a while. In the meantime, I have a job for you three. Go to a supermarket, I don't care which one, and collect everything you think we need to raise a child."

"A child, sir?" asked Bocoe.

"Yes. The clone will be created as an infant, but I've programmed its body to rapidly age to twenty years of age or so, both physically and mentally. After that, it will grow up normally. I want him to be young when he assumes the throne. You get what I'm saying, right?"

"Yes, sir," they replied.

"Then why are you still here? _**GET TO WORK!**_"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Surprise**

* * *

On the mainland, in a city called Station Square, a large city bus stopped at its usual location on Garden Avenue to unload some of its passengers. A young man named Christopher Thorndyke hopped off and waved farewell to his friends as the bus left, and he began his short journey back to his father's mansion. His closest friends were the Freedom Fighters, Sonic and the gang, who kept their temporary headquarters compound within his manor while they were stranded on his world.

It was late in the afternoon, and he was returning from his usual daily college courses. Sonic and the others were absent. Chris naturally assumed that they left to seek out the Chaos Emeralds, so he decided to burn a little time by relaxing with some late-day television.

As the boy flipped through the channels, he yawned more out of boredom than drowsiness. "Why isn't there anything good on TV at this hour?" he asked himself. Soon, he turned over to the local news network.

"Latest news. About ten minutes ago, three robots broke into a Walmart stock and stole almost all its contents…" a woman with a microphone reported.

Chris sighed. "Well, that doesn't happen every day…"

The camera panned over the surroundings. "The robots stole everything from food to clothes and toys. How much money they have stolen hasn't been published yet. Local authorities suspect that Dr. Robotnik is responsible for this crime."

"What kind of scheme is Eggman up to this time?"

The camera returned to the woman, "His latest scheme is currently unknown, but we will follow this case. This is Scarlet Garcia reporting."

Chris turned off the monitor, now seeming very serious. "Whatever it is, it can't be good. I better go check it out." He left to start collecting supplies for his inspection.

* * *

Much later... "We're back, doctor!" In the Doctor's lab, the three stoodstraight.

Behind the desk, the old Doctor was sitting with the scroll, not moving his sight away from it. "Good… I saw it on the news." He turned to the now silent machine and smirked. "Just in time, too…"

Some dampness emerged while the door to the capsule slowly opened. There was total silence as Eggman and his robot-henchmen stood completely still, waiting for the outcome from their project. When the door was completely open, the old doctor stepped closer.

In the bottom of the capsule, he sound a small, curled-up shape, which moves a little showing it is indeed alive. However, there was still too much fog to see how it looked. Carefully, he bent down and picked it up with one hand.

"It's so... small," Decoe breathed in wonder.

Eggman stepped away from the capsule and went back to the others, while holding it tight in his arms, almost like a father with his child. Once they were away from the fog, the appearance of this being is revealed.

"WHAT THE WHAT?!" they all shouted in unison.

Eggman held the life form away with one hand and stared at it with great despise. In his hand rested a toddler girl with soft golden hair… all over its body. It also had cat-like ears, and a short tail. It was a Mobian, but more to the point, it was…

"A Hedgehog? A female Hedgehog?! How could this happen?!" he exclaimed.

"Um… I have a theory," Bocoe grabbed the hair Eggman threw into the machine on and handed it to the doctor.

Eggman looked at it closely and aggressively snapped it with his free fist. "BLAST YOU, SONIC!" Even when he was nowhere around, the blue hedgehog was always able to foil his plans any day. He handed the baby furiously to Decoe. "Put it back in! There must be a reverse switch somewhere!" Eggman turned around in order to go back to the machine.

Suddenly, the toddler started to cry a little, then louder and louder. Panicked, the robots try to calm her down, but they were not programmed for child care. "How do we turn this thing off?!"

Eggman sighed tired. "Try cradling it." He grabbed some tools and opened the machine. Awkward, the robots tried to calm it, but it didn't seem to work at all. Out of irritation, the old man threw his tools. "I can't concentrate with all this noise. Give me that!" He went back to the robots and took the child out of their hands. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself..." He started to cradle the child, and it began to calm down.

For the first time, he looked into the eyes of his creation. For some reason, he started to feel unsure with what he was doing. The child playfully grabbed his mustache and pulled it gently. He sighed tired and became thoughtful.

"Aww... you got to admit she is kind of cute." Bocoe said.

"Yeah, and sweet," Bokkun grinned.

The Doctor didn't answer, still looking at her. The child yawned a bit and started to seem sleepy.

"So... are you going to put her back in the machine?" one of the robots asked.

The Doctor is mute for a moment, and then smiled a little. "Nah! I think she's fine the way she is. She may not be my flesh and blood, but perhaps an anti-Sonic may be what we need!" He rubbed her pink nose gently with his finger, and she giggled. "I think I'll call you 'Daisy,' after my mother."

"YAY! We're gonna keep her! We're gonna keep her!" Bokkun exclaimed joyfully. "Can I hold her?"

"Can I hold her, doctor?" asked Decoe.

"You held her before!" Bokkun exclaimed.

"Yeah, you did! I wanna hold her!" Bocoe said.

"No, I wanna..."

As they argued over who would handle the child, a certain human was watching them from the corridor. He had just arrived, so he was unaware that the child was created. 'They have kidnapped a baby?' Chris thought. 'That's a new low even for him. I must act now!'

When he was close enough, he spawned one of Amy's piko-piko hammers and threw it at the robots. They were so caught up with the baby, they were too late to respond, and they banged into the wall. "Chris: 1. Dumb-bots: 0," he said as he jumped over them.

Eggman, seeing him coming, pressed a button on the wall. "Guards!" Before he could say anymore, Chris smashed the intercom. Then he snatched the toddler out of his arms and stated to run off.

"No! Don't take her! I need her!" Eggman chased after him, but given his age, he couldn't keep up.

"You know, I don't care! There's a mother out there who misses her child, and I'm going to find her!" Chris reached for the door to his freedom.

But right before he could open it, two large Badniks beat him to it. Chris would have put up a fight, had they not taken the hammer away from him. Eggman laughed. One of his enemies was trapped, and he knew of a proper punishment. What he didn't know was that more enemies would come to rescue him; else he'd give them a proper welcome.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Team Dark to the Rescue**

* * *

**1800** **hours EST. Latitude 65.79; longitude 34.18, heading east by southeast at 100 clicks per hour.**

A large ship flew across the skies. Its passengers, several soldiers from the G.U.N., short for the Guardian Unit of the Nations. Among them were three members in particular: Shadow, Rouge and Omega, G.U.N. Commandos known as Team Dark. Their mission, rescue any and all captured prisoners on Eggman Island.

"Lock 'n' load, troops! We go hot in five!" one of them told the others. "We've masked out approach, but if Robotnik's sentries are online, he knows we're coming. Either way, do not expect a warm welcome. The minute we land, you are cleared to engage all hostiles."

As the G.U.N. shuttle approached the designated location, Omega, who was the robot arsenal for Team Dark, and the other soldiers were loading their weapons and spare magazines into their backs. Rouge, the master spy, began her routine stretches. Shadow, the G.U.N. super soldier, adjusted his inhibitor bracelets as not to lose them. Then, he reached for his Chaos Emerald and stashed it away for later use.

"So, doing anything special this Saturday?" Rouge asked her partner.

Shadow sniffed with a small smirk. "Well, everybody in my book club is dead. So no, not really."

The G.U.N. spy shrugged in a teasing way. "You certainly know just what to say to a woman, don't you?"

"Coming up on the drop zone!" the pilot called out. The soldiers began for the back hatch, which slowly opened for them. "Bad time to find out if you're afraid of heights."

"Stop trying to be funny. You're failing." With that said, Shadow jumped out of the ship.

"Was he wearing a parachute?"

"He doesn't need one." Rouge leapt out after him. After quickly catching up, she grabbed Shadow and spread her wings out, causing them to glide to safety. Omega and the other soldiers followed quickly behind.

Once they landed, they were immediately attacked. As sirens wailed, robots went out and threaded through the sand to guard their designated location. One by one, the robots were brought down from an unseen attack. Shadow, Rouge and Omega fought side by side. The military blasted the attacking forces with their own firearms. While many of the soldiers were injured, every last one of the enemy robots were down for the count.

"That's the last of them!" one of them called out. "Get the wounded to the extraction point, and let's set up a perimeter, people!"

Team Dark regrouped in the midst of the after-battle. Two of the three were thoroughly pleased with their progress. Shadow, on the other hand… "That was too easy," he said suspiciously.

His Mobian friend glanced at him and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, handsome. I'm sure things will get much uglier from here on." Normally, Rouge would call any cute guy 'handsome,' but she meant it with Shadow.

The ebony and crimson Mobian didn't know this. "Joke all you want, my friend. But the doctor could easily see us coming from miles away but sent only a token resistance for us. A setup for a trap if ever I sensed one." he said and glanced at the robot arsenal.

"I concur," Omega replied. "What do we do about your hypothesis?"

Shadow grinned in a confident way. "Spring the trap."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another location, Eggman paced the floor, glancing at his intruder who almost got away earlier. He looked over at the baby, who was playing with his hench-bots, and he smiled as she would rule the Empire. Then he glared back at Chris, who was currently trapped in a glass tube.

"You were quite a naughty boy," the Doctor said to Chris. "Breaking an entry... attacking my metallic minions... destroying Imperial property... trying to kidnap my heir to the throne... "

"I wasn't kidnapping her, Egghead. I was trying to save her from you," Chris stated.

"Silence!" snapped the doctor. "Now, do you know the punishment for those who behave like this? It usually depends on two aspects: my mood and my machines." He, Docoe, and Bocoe started to push the capsule to the door. Once they got outside, Eggman looked back at Bokkun. "Keep an eye on her. We'll be right back."

"Yes, sir..." he replied.

After they left, Bokkun grabbed a small, blue ball which they played with for a few minutes. Soon, there was a loud knock on the door. "Hold on! I'm coming!" The robot rushed to the door. "Back so soon, Doctor–!" Before the small robot could finish, something large and black struck him at full speed.

The black object landed in front of the toddler. "Kidnapping babies? Now that's just low," it stated.

"Shadow!" Bokkun shouted angrily. "Why you?"

"This is our mission from the Commander," he replied. Shadow then turned around to the child, which Rouge had just picked up and started cradling in her arms. He looked into the baby girl's blue eyes in wonder. The black hedgehog couldn't explain why, but…

"What's the matter, Shadow? Got a soft spot for babies?" Rouge asked.

"Of course not. It's just that… I feel like I've seen her before," Shadow replied. "It doesn't matter. Omega, watch over the kid. Rouge, you're with me." With that said, he took off after Eggman, and the bat followed.

Almost immediately after, the baby started crying. Omega, having no knowledge for childcare, tried as best as he could. "Uh… there, there? Please do not leak anymore?" But nothing worked. "I apologize. I was not built to comfort."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a room not too far away, Eggman had his prisoner all set up on a podium. He then turned to a control panel behind him and started pushing buttons. What was he going to do to Chris?

Pretty soon, a large piece of machinery appeared over the boy's head. He had never seen such a device before. Come to think of it, half of the things Eggman did were unfamiliar to him.

"This work of machinery is special," the old man said. "It transforms organic life forms into mechanized slaves. It's called the 'Roboticizer!'"

Chris froze out of fear. It was bad enough to be his prisoner, but he would soon be his friends' enemy. Suddenly, he realized something. "Wait… why haven't you used this on Sonic before?" he asked.

The scientist shrugged. "I have. I don't know how, but that stubborn hedgehog is immune to the effects," he replied. "Now, let's see if you are, shall we?" Right then, he pulled a lever on the panel.

The machine whined as it started to warm up. A glow came over Chris as it was beginning to activate. The Freedom Fighter backed up to a side of the glass container as not to be affected by the Roboticizer, but he was still too close to get hit by the shot. He closed his eyes, ready for the worst.

A red surge of electricity charged at his left arm, and he cried out in pain as he transformed. His shoulder was incased in bulb-shaped armor, and his entire arm was metallic. His palm was a smooth silver and his fingers were squared off and robotic… suddenly, the machine exploded.

Eggman looked away for a second to avoid the blinding flash and heat. He turned back to observe the outcome. "Huh?" Chris was gone, and the Roboticizer was in pieces. He looked to the side, expecting Sonic, but instead… "Shadow!"

"Dr. Eggman," the black hedgehog scolded as he put Chris down, "by the authority of the G.U.N., you are charged for the attempted roboticization of Freedom Fighter personnel."

Eggman growled angrily. "One day, I'm gonna destroy the G.U.N., you stubborn little traitor! But for now…" He then pushed a button on the control panel. "I'll just destroy you with Burn-Bot!" At that moment, a rather large machine barged in. It was mostly red with spikes and two large claws.

Shadow stared. First at the robot, and then at its builder. "A robot with flamethrowers?" he asked. "I've never dealt with one of those."

Eggman looked somewhat surprised. "Flamethrowers? Well, no…"

"Oh? What then? Nitric acid, or incendiary grenades?"

"N-No. No. The li- C-Claws! It has claws! Very painful claws!"

The robot clanked its claws to demonstrate.

The black hedgehog looked disappointed. "Then why, pray tell, did you name it 'Burn-Bot?' If it has no incendiary weaponry, it delivers the wrong idea. What do they call it these days... 'false advertisement?'"

The more Shadow spoke, the more anger bubbled inside the doctor until finally… "I name the robots, Hedgehog! Burn-Bot, **ATTACK!**" With that, Eggman disappeared through the door.

Once he did so, the robot charged at the black hedgehog, which quickly grabbed Chris and evaded the attack.

Meanwhile, Rouge followed from above. She watched them through a special heat seeking radar, and she saw two rocket thrusters behind a blob of heat. "Black Leader, this is White Sky. I have eyes on Burn-Bot. Fourty-seven meters and closing in fast, over."

"Copy that, White Sky," replied Shadow via com-link. "Have E-123 ready to initiate 'Salvo Surprise,' over." Shadow dashed through the halls carrying Chris, as Burn-Bot charged after him. The dangerous, inaccurately named robot launched his claws at the hedgehog. But the speedy G.U.N. Commando dodged each attack with ease.

In no time at all, they reached the doorway leading outside. Burn-bot lunged at the hedgehog and boy, but Rouge had swooped down and snatched them just in time.

Out of nowhere, a missile blasted through the air and struck the robot in the face. It shrieked and covered its face, but it did not help at all. The robot had fallen down and was destroyed.

"I enjoy this protocol," another voice sounded. Omega walked into the room, his cannons pointing at the remains. Safely behind him was a soldier with the baby, who was handed over to Rouge.

Eggman saw everything from his Egg Mobile, but he didn't notice the baby. "Blast you, Shadow! Enjoy yourself this time, cause next time will be your last!" the doctor released a large electromagnet, which picked up his weapon, and he flew off. "Off... you're heavy. Seriously, Burn-Bot, you could stand to **_burn_** a few calories."

"Excellent timing, team," Shadow said and watched as the shuttle returned to collect the soldiers, wounded, and prisoners. "Hop aboard, Chris. We're taking you home."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Station Square, Sonic the Hedgehog paced the floor, concerned. He didn't know that Chris left for Eggman's base, so he thought he was at the local college. But his last class was dismissed hours ago, and he still hadn't shown up.

He came outside to find Amy, Cream and Vanilla having a tea party. "I'm going to check on Chris at the university. If he shows up here, let me know, okay?"

But then, out of nowhere, a shuttle appeared from the sky. It dropped a number of shapes to the yard below. Sonic recognized them immediately as Team Dark and Chris.

"He's here," Vanilla said.

"Aw, what a cute baby," Amy cooed at the child in Rouge's arms. "Is it yours?"

"No, its not hers. I was…" Chris started, but paused as he heard his friends gasping. He wasn't sure why until he looked at his left arm, seeing it was metallic.

"What did that monster do to you?" Cream shouted.

"You've been roboticized!" Sonic added.

"I guess it happened right before Shadow rescued me," the boy said. Then he started to explain.

As the group listened to his tale, the toddler started to cry again, and she tried to get out of Rouge's grip. Desperately, the G.U.N. spy tried to comfort her, and after some time, she realized the kid wanted to get down.

So she let her down, and the baby started to move toward Shadow, who seemed thoughtful at the girl. He was still trying to figure out how she was so familiar. He got down on one knee so he could be at her height.

As she came closer, she raised her small hand to reach him. Suddenly, she stumbled over a small rock and grabbed his leg. Shadow gasped by the touch and felt an odd feeling in his body. It felt like a wind was racing through all the corners of his inside. Right then, he realized why she looked so familiar...

It reminded him of Maria...

* * *

The shouts of fear filled the ARK. The explosions of war sounded in every room. The black hedgehog held tightly onto the young girl's hand as they ran through the hallways. The sound of many footsteps followed them.

"Shadow, they're catching up!" the girl shouted fearfully to the black hedgehog.

"Hang on, Maria!" Shadow answered the frightened girl over his shoulder. "We're almost there!"

"I… I can't keep up…" she panted.

Shadow felt Maria's pace slowing rapidly. He glanced back at his friend, who looked exhausted. Behind her, several G.U.N. soldiers were gaining on them. Shadow took one last look at Maria's fearful expression before stopping suddenly. In a swift move, he scooped Maria into his arms and carried her away at full speed.

"Don't worry. I've got you," the coal black hedgehog assured the young girl as he accelerated his pace. All he wanted was her to be safe. Within seconds, the soldiers were far behind the speedy Mobian.

Once they got to the Escape Pod Chamber, he set her down and elbowed a button behind him. The door closed, but not fully. It left a very small opening. Neither one of them noticed. "Get in the capsule. I'll deal with the controls," Shadow instructed and started at the control panel. He was the only one in the room who knew how to operate them.

Maria hesitated, but she did as he asked. About halfway to the escape pod, she looked back and noticed a rifle pointing through the door directly at the black hedgehog. True to her protective instinct, she ran over and shoved Shadow out of the way right as a loud bang pierced the air.

Shadow fell into the escape pod right as the door closed. He looked out the window to see Maria lying motionless on the floor. His closest and only friend was shot. "NO!" He started pounding his fists against the door to get out and help her.

Maria moaned in pain and slowly raised her head to see her friend. "Shadow… we've always dreamed of going down to Earth together… but it looks like you'll have to go... without me."

Shadow felt himself tense up. "Don't talk like that!" he begged her. "I'm not leaving you here! I'll come back if I have to!"

"It's too late for me… but you can still make it..."

"It's not too late. I can save you! I'll… I'll… I'll..." But the more he thought about it, the more his heart sank.

"I'm sure you'll be very happy down there… I only wish that I could go along with you." Maria looked out a nearby window. "The world looks so beautiful from up here in space... but my grandfather says that the people who live there… have to face many problems. That's why he created you." She held a shaky hand out to him. "Please, Shadow… Promise me… that you'll help people… and be friends with them."

"I… I will… try..." he stuttered. What more could he do for her, he thought.

Maria smiled. "I could never have asked for a better friend than you... I'm sorry it has to be this way… But don't worry. I will see you again soon… Sayonara… Shadow the Hedgehog…" With the last strength in her body, she blew him a kiss. Then she collapsed and breathed her last.

He fell to the floor in sorrow. She was gone, and the pain he felt was too much, even for him. "It's all my fault…" he sobbed.

* * *

Shadow quickly stumbled away from the child. He reared into the table, knocking some of the china off of it and onto the concrete below. He struggled to stand, breathing hard.

A few others approached the black hedgehog. "You okay, Shadow?" Sonic asked.

"What's wrong?" Rouge added.

Shadow was uncertain of what to say. He knew they knew of Maria, but they also heard him swear to leave that behind, so he was caught in the middle. "I… I have to go. Chaos Control!" He disappeared.

"I hate it when he does that," Rouge shrugged. She and Omega clambered back into the ship, and they began their journey to the G.U.N. base on the other side of the city.

Chris raises his eyebrows, not knowing what to say. He looked down at the child. Perhaps this 'saving the orphan' thing wasn't such a good idea. A rain drop hit his cheek, and he looked up in the sky. A large, dark cloud was approaching.

"Chris! Come inside! It is going to rain!" Cream's voice sounded behind him. The boy looked back and saw the cream colored rabbit giving him sign to follow her.

"R-Right. Of course. I'm coming..." He ran back to the house while the rain became more and more intense.

The storm continued throughout the day and into the night. As the baby was nestled in a crib, Amy, who had volunteered to care for the child until they found her parents, climbed into her own bed. She looked at the now sleeping child and smiled motherly. "Goodnight, whoever you are…"


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Ultimate Life Secret**

* * *

It had been over a decade since Eggman released him from suspended animation, and doing the time, Shadow had less distanced himself from the rest of the world. Many saw him as a hero, while others were a little skeptical. The only one who truly saw Shadow as a monster was Shadow himself. With few exceptions, he thought everybody feared him. His opinion did make sense, though. He had almost rammed the ARK into the Earth, and he partly helped Black Doom and his army take over. However, he had forgotten about the fact that he also saved them from both. That should make him feel somewhat like a hero, or at least neutral.

He was lonely… very lonely. Rouge had tried many times to help him and cheer him up, encouraging him to join her as her permanent partner. She and Omega were indeed the only two he could truly call friends, and he trusted them as well as they trusted him. But his friendship with the both of them combined was far from what he had once shared with Maria.

The long abandoned Space Colony ARK was the only place he felt complete peace. Far away from anyone, no one could possibly disturb him there. And of all the rooms onboard, Maria's old bedroom was his favorite spot. It gave him a feeling of presence of her cheerful and loving spirit.

As Shadow sat down on the bed, he stared straight up on the ceiling. Up there, there have been some painted stars and a moon, now more faded. He sighed when he imaged the day he helped his best friend paint them.

* * *

With one hand, he balanced the young girl in the air. With the other, he kept a firm grip on the chair he was standing on. Because of this, Maria could easily reach the ceiling. "Do you think the moon needs more paint?" she asked.

"Don't ask me," he replied. "Just put on as much as you think you need."

"But I want your opinion," she said back.

"You don't need my opinion."

"I _**crave **_your opinion!"

"I crave lunch!"

"We can get lunch as soon as we're done."

Shadow chuckled in agreement. He always enjoyed these just-for-fun arguments.

The painted ceiling was their little secret. Not even Gerald knew about this. There was another something that happened that day which changed Shadow's life forever. A small piece of meteor collided with the ARK, causing the station to rumble uncontrollably. In turn, Shadow lost his balance and fell flat on his back, and Maria landed on top of him.

His cheeks burned when their noses touched. She was quite surprise and blushed a little as well. For a moment, they just stared into each other's eyes, not saying a word. Maria broke the silence with a laugh. "You're so cute when you do that," she said, and she fluffed the soft white fur on his chest a bit. Once they got back on their feet, Maria looked up. "I think that'll do. Thanks again for your help, Shadow." She then leaned down and gently pressed her lips to his cheek.

This caused the Mobian to blush a brighter red. "What… what was that?" he asked and placed a hand to where her lips touched.

She giggled again. "It's called a kiss, silly. It's a way of showing someone you love them."

Shadow looked puzzled. 'Love…' That word echoed in his head the rest of the day. He didn't understand fully what it meant, but a part of him did.

* * *

That night, while everyone was asleep, Shadow lay wide awake. The memory of what happened earlier that day filled him with insomnia. He rubbed his head, wondering why he was so caught up with this. After a while, the hedgehog slid out of bed and to the kitchen down the hall for a glass of milk. He sat at the table, staring at the glass and taking a small sip every few seconds.

Behind him, a rusty, old voice addressed him by name. He turned around to find an old man with a bushy gray mustache and glasses standing in the doorway in his pajamas. "What are you doing in here? It's almost midnight."

Shadow was quick to recognize him. "Professor Gerald! I… I was thirsty, so I…" He paused as his creator gave him a look of disbelief. He sighed out of surrender. "I don't know. I guess I just need to think for a minute."

The man pulled out a chair and sat down beside him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Shadow wasn't too sure if he really did. But the human he was with did create him, so perhaps he would understand. "Professor, have you ever felt like someone you knew for a long time has… changed?"

He thought for a couple of seconds. "Changed in what way?" he finally asked.

"Well, it's not so much that they change, but that your view of them changes."

Gerald blinked and looked confused. "Shadow, I have an idea about what you're saying, but how could your view change? Did this somebody do something out of the ordinary?"

"Something like that… Yes." Then, without revealing their secret project, Shadow had told the professor what had happened. "Now, I can't sleep, I barely eat, I... What's wrong with me?"

The old man stared. Then he laughed, startling the hedgehog. "Nothing's wrong, Shadow. The answer's obvious... you've fallen in love with Maria."

There was that word again. Now Shadow was confused. Was he in love? He thought back over the friendship that they had. He always enjoyed it when they spent time together, but he figured that was just something between friends. But there was always that little skip in his heart whenever he heard Maria laugh or bumped into her in the hallway or something. He never quite understood that.

And what about all his attempts to help her whenever she was sad, hurt, scared, or just plain wanted to do something? Friends do that, he knew that much. But do they always go as far as he had gone for Maria? The more he thought about it, the more he realized… "You know what? I think I always have been. I just never realized how I felt until now."

Gerald chuckled, almost smugly. It slightly concerned him that a Mobian would love a human that much, but the old man had to remind himself that he created him through the Black Arms, an alien race bent on destroying the world mercilessly. This showed that Shadow had a heart. The black hedgehog seemed confused about feelings and emotions, yes, but he was capable of loving others as well. His experiment on synthetically created life was not just complete… he had been perfected.

"Shadow, listen to me," he began. "Love is a very confusing emotion. It's rare that it happens between species, but make no mistake, my boy… It's said to be the most powerful feeling as well. No matter how selfish the feeling may seem, you can always believe in love, and do your best to make the one you love most happy."

The black hedgehog smiled. Given that he made him, Shadow saw Gerald as more of a father, so it was nice to know he understood. "Thanks, Professor… uh, would you mind keeping this between us?" he asked. "If I want her to know, I'd like to tell her myself."

"Fine by me… and you can call me Gerald."

* * *

Shadow moved one of his hands on the chest where Maria had once fluffed him. It always felt comfortable when she did that, his whole body tingling. He opened his eyes. "How can I put my past behind if I can't let go of Maria?" He asked himself. He sighed, and he looked at an old calendar. "A couple short weeks, and it'll be exactly fifty years."

As he lay down, his head hit something. It wasn't hard, nor did it hurt, but it was rather uncomforting. The G.U.N. lefted the sheet to find LittleLove, the symbol of his and Maria's friendship. He carefully picked it up, carressing it in his hand with his thunb. Small droplets liquify from his eyes as he placed back in its spot: next to her pillow.

'Maria... please, leave me alone,' he thought. 'You're never coming back...'

All of a sudden, there was some noise from outside. Shadow pulled out his Chaos Emerald, ready to fight. Slowly, he opened the door, but the light from the gem revealed a metallic face.

The being looked behind him to see the black hedgehog. It yelled in excitement and hopped onto him, pinning him to the ground. "Oh, this is fantastic! A carbon-based life form, come to rescue me at last!" He wrapped his arms and legs around the Mobian. "I just want to hug you, and squeeze you, and hold you close to me!"

Thehedgehog laughed out of both relief and joy. He knew who this machine was. "Okay, okay, calm down, buddy," the black hedgehog chuckled as he tried to pull him off.

"Oh…" the robot jumped down. "Sorry, it's just that… I-I-I've been stranded up here for so long. Solitude's okay, don't get me wrong. But for goodness' sake, after so many years… YOU GO A LITTLE NUTZ!" he quickly settled down. "Sorry, again. I'm, uh… My name is… um…"

"Oh, no…" Shadow knew exactly who the robot was, so this was greatly displeasing.

"JACK!" he exclaimed. "Of course. I'm Jack. Junior Assembly Companion – K-12 Class." Jack was an old robot, which Maria learned to build for a science fair. She achieved first place in the contest, because quite by accident, her project developed one little glitch during the fair… a personality. Since then, he became a good friend to Shadow and Maria, and he was used for research in artificial intelligence. "And you are?"

"Jack, it's me. Shadow," he replied. "Don't you remember me?"

"Sorry... Shadow, was it? But I'd think I'd recall meeting an anthropomorphic rat."

Shadow felt hurt. "Hedgehog... I'm a hedgehog. These are guills on my head." Then, he tried something else. "What about Maria? Surely you couldn't forget the one who built and programmed you."

The robot fell silent. "Wait… I re-re-remember. I do, I- Maria! Maria Robotnik! Diagnosed with Neuro-Immuno D-D-Deficiency Syndrome! And there was this pendant she wore… a special pendant, with special properties, for a special purpose!"

Shadow stepped back, slightly shocked.

"Professor Andersen knew Maria's body wasn't strong enough to overcome her condition, so she built a machine to-!" Sparks and smoke flew from his head as he yelled as though he was in pain. "DATA INACCESSIBLE! REBOOT! _REBOOT! __**REBOOT!**_" The black and red hedgehog fearfully slapped him across the face to make him stop. Jack looked at Shadow silently, and then… "And you are?"

"Wait; wait; wait! What about Maria?"

"I want to say Terios."

"Th-th-the special pendant, and Professor Andersen, or…"

"I'm sorry. My memory isn't what it used to be. I've… lost my mind. Literally." He turned around to show a piece that went on the back of his head was missing.

"Your memory circuit… You really don't remember, do you?"

Jack shook his head in depression.

Shadow shrugged. "I know how that feels…" He could tell that he was still majorly damaged. The robot was missing parts of his arms, a foot, and of course, his memory banks. But he figured he would help fix him later on. Either way, he was somewhat glad to see his old friend. "Well, until we find it, let me tell you a little about me. Maybe it'll help. It all started with an elder genius named Gerald…"


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Growing Up…!**

* * *

After a long, stormy night, the sun finally rose. Its bright light found its way into the bedroom window. As the morning star climbed into the sky, its rays reached the crib where the baby was still sleeping. When the warm light hit her nose, she slowly woke up from her sleep.

It had been a strange night. She had been dreaming all kinds of odd people and places. One thing that kept coming to her was images of the black hedgehog she had met yesterday and an old man who, for some reason, felt very familiar…

She opened her eyes and raised an arm to rub them, but for some reason she can barely move her arm. Slowly and awkwardly, she sat up, still very drowsy. When the arm reached her face, she heard a loud crack, which fully woke her up. Something was wrong.

She looked down at herself and gasped at the sight. Her body had become at least fifteen years older in one night. Her long golden hair that covered her shoulders was piled up behind her and in a tangled mess. Her new long legs were sticking out of the bars in the crib. Also, her diaper was now completely visible since the dress she was wearing wasn't big enough to cover her whole body anymore. That too was a bit tight, especially around the chest.

'What… what happened to me? Where am I…? Who am I?' She pondered those questions, and then thought of more. This whole situation felt confusing and very embarrassing, and those emotions were new to her. She then realized she had changed mentally as well as physically. She looked down. "Well, getting out of this thing would be a good way to start," she muttered to herself as she tried to pull out of the bars.

She didn't feel a need to cry for help anymore. She would rather handle this on her own, especially since she didn't want Amy or the others to see her like this. Carefully, she tried to break free without a sound, but her legs were stuck in the bars and she didn't want to break the bed or damage the dress more than necessary.

The noise from her struggling woke Amy, who had been asleep in the bed next to hers. "You already awake?" The pink hedgehog mumbled drowsily. "Want me to find you something to eat?" She sat up, rubbed her eyes and then looked in her direction. She yelled in shock when she saw the adult hedgehog girl in the baby bed.

"Hi," she said after an awkward moment of silence. "Would you mind helping me? I'm kinda stuck," she added, even more embarrassed.

The speechless Amy came to and nodded. "Oh. Of course." She climbed out of bed and tried to pull the girl out.

The former toddler tried carefully to get her legs out of the bars, but the little room in the bed and the tight dress made it very difficult to move at all. They stopped when they heard a small crack in the wood from the bed. While Amy tried to come up with an idea, the girl gasped for air since the dress made it hard for her to breathe.

Outside, they suddenly heard footsteps outside. It was Sonic, who just got out of bed. "Sonic, I need your help. We have a problem!" Amy told her friend.

"What? You hate changing the baby's diaper?" The blue hedgehog followed her inside the bedroom, and he nearly jumped when he saw what the baby was. "WHAT THE WHAT?!"

"She's stuck in the bed. How do we get her out without hurting her?" Amy asked concerned.

Sonic quickly thought up an idea. "Hang on a sec. I'll be right back." He rushed back out the door.

Down in the kitchen, Vanilla and Cream were preparing breakfast. Knuckles the Echidna was washing the dishes beside them, and Tails the Prower was working on Chris' robot arm at the dining room table. "Now, if I just tighten this last bolt, it should–"

Just then, Sonic came in. "You guys should see this. Bring the toolbox," he said and left for the room again. The others follow to the bedroom where the girls await them.

"Whoa!" the guys exerted.

"Oh, dear!" the girls said, shocked by this discovery.

"Hand me the socket wrench. I'm going to take this thing apart," he said, and Tails tossed him the tool in question.

"You're going to what?" the girl asked, concerned. She grabbed some of the bars as Sonic ran around, loosening the bolts.

Once the right pieces were taken off, the girl was lifted out. Awkwardly, she tried to stand up on her own but had a little trouble balancing on her new longer legs. Vanilla noticed right away and came to her assistance. They took a couple of laps around the room until she was well in balance.

Tired, the girl sat down on Amy's bed and gasped for air as the dress felt tighter. After a moment, she was the first to break the silence. "So… what now?"

Vanilla looked at her. "First, we have to get you out of those clothes." In a smooth move, the rabbit woman cleanly pulled the dress off the hedgehog girl, who right away covered her chest with her arms. "There. That should ease your breathing." Vanilla said motherly. She then handed the dress to Sonic, who was quite curious about the even more embarrassed former toddler.

Generally, Mobians were not as modest as humans since their entire bodies were covered with fur or scales. But she acted the same way a human would... Then again, he figured she wasn't used to having an young adult body.

As the blue hedgehog looked at her, he couldn't help but notice that whole the young Mobian girl's appearance was exceedingly similar to his own. She even had the same birthmark on her left hand as he did. It was almost as though he was looking at a mirror image of himself... if he were a girl, that was.

Of course, there were some notable differences, like her golden yellow fur, and she had more soft hair on her head than edged quills. Despite the variances, Sonic felt as though he and she were connected somehow.

"Why don't you guys finish making breakfast? I think our guest here needs some proper clothing and a haircut," Amy said and snickered as she hinted the diaper.

"Let's just get it over with," the girl said in a low voice, all red in the face.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Amy said as she led her to the closet. "It's not like you knew this would happen."

* * *

Later that morning, while the guys were fixing breakfast, Chris sat in depression. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted his 'saving' the baby from Eggman. Was being partly roboticized worth it?

A few others came in, each with a plate of food. Sonic noticed his human friend's expression. "What's wrong, buddy?"

"It's the girl, isn't it?" Vanilla asked.

Chris nodded. "I'm certain she's Eggman's work and not an orphan. Nobody grows up that fast and… what about Shadow yesterday? What is their link? When I took her from him, I felt terrible, and even though Shadow probably won't admit it, he seemed kind of disturbed as well." he sighed. "Do you guys thimk i'mdoing the right thing?"

"You do what your heart is telling you to," Vanilla tried.

"But am I right to decide if Eggman is a good father? Maybe this whole 'saving an orphan' thing is just a failed attempt for me to be a hero..."

"No!" Cream exclaimed. "Chris, you did the right thing. And if she is his work, he would just raise her to be evil, and make her do bad things."

"Chao! Chao!" Cheese jumped.

"Things might not be that bad," Tails said in a friendly tone and rested his hand on his shoulder.

Chris smiled a little. He knew they were right.

Just then, they heard footsteps coming their way. Amy and the yellow girl were coming down the stairs. The yellow hedgehog's hair was much shorter than before, but still stretched down to her back. She was wearing a bathrobe that belonged to the pink one. "Not exactly your fit, but we can get you some more suitable clothes later," Amy said as she followed her downstairs.

Down in the living room, Amy offered the yellow hedgehog a seat, and the rest join her around the table. "So how do you feel?" Vanilla asked the young girl and handed her a basket with fresh rolls.

"I'm fine, thanks," she said as she took one, still a little embarrassed of what happened earlier. "Again, I'm very sorry about that. I don't know what happened…"

"It's cool," Knuckles replied. "This is probably gonna be a long shot, but… now that you're smart enough, perhaps you could tell us your name and where Eggman took you from?"

She stared at her glass of water with a look of sadness. "I wish I could," she sighed. "My head's a mess. It feels like there's this big, dark hole in the middle, surrounded by images of people I don't know… or I don't remember."

"Like...?" Amy tried.

The yellow hedgehog stared for a second and scratched the back of her head. "There are three in particular that keep coming to mind." She closed her eyes to better visualize them. "There's an elder man with a big mustache and glasses. He's very tall and…"

"That sure sounds like Eggman," Sonic jumped in.

But she simply shook her head. "Nope, not him. Wait… make that four. Anyway, the person I'm thinking of is a lot older, but he looks much like this Ivo fellow…" Maria silenced as she started to think.

"How do you know his…?" Knuckled started. "Never mind. Who were the others you saw?" he asked, trying to help the young girl remember.

She closed her eyes again. "Another one is a young girl... like me, but she's human... with wings?"

"Like an angel?" Tails asked, and the girl nodded. "Fascinating. And the fourth?"

"The last one is… a hedgehog." She then pointed to Sonic. "He looks a lot like you, but his fur is… mostly black."

"Shadow?!" the other three girls exclaimed at the same time.

She was mute for a moment, but when she was about to say something… She took herself to the head. A sharp pain had suddenly struck her.

"Are you okay?" Vanilla asked concerned and rushed to her aid.

She was silent for a moment. "I'm fine…" She removed the hand from her head and looked at the others. "I'm fine now. I don't know what happened, but it felt like the name triggered something." she said and chuckled a little awkwardly.

"Alright, I think we should stop playing 'Twenty Questions' for now and have some breakfast," Sonic said cheerfully and offered her some scrambled eggs. "Maybe later we could look for Shadow or someone who might know you, Angel."

She nodded to the blue hedgehog's words and took some food. Right before she took a bite… "Angel?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Got to call you something, don't I?" he replied. "What do you think?"

'Angel' thought for a moment, and then she smiled. "I guess that'll work… for now."

Sonic grinned. He didn't know who she was, but he did have his suspicions.

Unknown to the others, Tails had snuck away and climbed upstairs to the baby bed Angel was stuck in. Using a pair of tweezers, he picked up a small hair she had left behind from her haircut. He was going to get to the bottom of this.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Enter Metal Shadow**

* * *

On a bench in the Eggman dungeon, three robots sat. Their maker was mad for them letting Chris and Team Dark get away with 'Daisy.' For the fifth time that month, they were stuck there.

Bokkun stood up and flew to the window. While he watched some birds fly by in the moonlight, he sighed. "You know, if the doctor hadn't dumped us here, we could have been out and searching for her now. I miss that little fella..."

"Well, you know him... he has his ideas. And he usually wants to be prepared for a confrontation with Sonic," Decoe shrugged.

"But Sonic isn't here at the moment. That's why we should act now!" he rebutted.

"If you want to fight Shadow, be my guest," Bocoe said tired, "but I'm not the one who'll pick up your scrap pieces. Don't forget how merciless he is once he's mad enough."

The robot grabbed the bars on the window and started yanking them. "This is torture! I can't stand being locked up! Something happen now!"

"Great. He's going to lose it. Like it wasn't enough being locked up down here," Bocoe said to his yellow companion who nodded in response.

"I know!" Bokkun exclaimed and pointed at the others."You could tell me about how babies are created, now that we have plenty of time!"

Decoe and Bocoe looked at each other. They didn't want to tell the black robot. But he was annoyingly persistant. "Rock-Doughnut-Thursday? Loser tells?" one suggested, and the other agreed.

"One... two... three... shoot!" And they each held their hand in a different position.

"I win! Rock squishes doughnut!"

"No, no! Doughnut makes rock delicious!"

"Okay, now you're just stalling... Tell me now!" Bokkun ordered.

"Whoever loses will!" Both Decoe and Bocoe exclaimed.

The small one grew rather ticked and attacked them, and they start wrestling on the floor.

While dust and dirt flew, a large familiar shape emerged from the darkness. "Larry! Curly! Mo! Cut that out!" the shape said, which caused the fight to stop at once. It was the doctor. He crossed his arms, annoyed.

"Let us out! We'll be good! Just let us out!" they all beg still lying on the dirty floor.

The doctor simply stared at them.

"PLEASE! WE BEG YOU! WE'LL BEHAVE!"

Eggman snorted. "That's what you said last time, and the time before that, and the time before that… Shall I go on?" he reminded them. "So instead of letting you out, I'm kicking you out!"

"What?!" they shouted. "But what'll we do?"

"I don't care! You just can't be here!"

"But you can't do all the hard work in your… uh, age."

"I won't have to." He elbowed a button behind him, and out from a hole in the wall came a ball and a cube.

Each of the shapes broke in half and sprouted long skinny bodies and arms. The round one landed on the table, while the edged one crashed on the floor. "Good evening, sir," the round one said. "Orbot and Cubot, activated and reporting for duty."

The edged one, Cubot, crawled onto the table. "Hoo-boy!" He shouted. "Ah reckon that bounce threw somethin' outta whack!"

"Oh, dear," Orbot moaned. "It appears your voice chip was damaged in the fall."

"We'll deal with that later." The doctor went to the jail cell and opened the door. "Right now, show these ex-minions to the door."

"You got it, Pardner!" Cubot then hobbled over and started pushing Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun. "Git a movin', ya lil' varmints! Git! Git! Git!"

"We're moving! Keep your circuits on!" Bokkun shouted angrily.

The three former minions of Eggman followed Orbot and Cubot to the door. Once there, the round one opened it. "There's a rowboat for you three down at the dock, literally with your names on it. I think you know what to do." With that, Cubot shoved them out into the dirt, and they slammed the door.

"Can you believe him, kicking us out like that?" Decoe asked.

"Yeah, and after all we did for him, too." Bokkun said.

They couldn't go anywhere for a job, because who would hire three enemy robots, they thought. So they decided to get back at the Doctor... somehow... eventually...

* * *

Shortly, his new minions arrived back in the same room they left to find Eggman. "They're gone. Anything else, sir?" Orbot asked.

"Actually, yes. I have something I want to show you... Follow me." he instructed and they followed him.

On the way to the lab, there was complete silence. None of them said a word, until Cubot gained enough courage to pop the question they both were thinking. "What is it you want to show us, Chief?" He asked with a low voice.

"You'll see," he said simply.

In the lab, the robots were instructed to stand while he would explain more about this 'something.' The robots looked around, but the only thing they saw in the room was an object that was covered by a tarp.

Eggman cleared his throat. "I want to tell you more about my latest creation. When those three lost Daisy, I came to the conclusion she would need someone to watch over her, to keeping her away from our enemies, and to make sure she won't turn against us. Its purpose is to keep her here and safe. She is, after all, the heir to all this... The princess of the great Eggman Empire!" He went to the object and yanked the tarp off.

"Well, short mah circuits and call meh 'Sparky!'" Cubot exclaimed.

There in front of them was a robot smaller than Eggman but larger than the other two. It resembled that of a black and red hedgehog with what looked like a cannon for an arm. Eggman went behind it and pressed a small button behind its neck. The robot's eyes beamed a sinister red as it turned on. "Metal Shadow: activated. Weapon systems: online. Awaiting mission objective."

The doctor grinned. "First off, I think I shall ask you to demonstrate some of your abilities," he snapped his fingers, and a cardboard cutout shaped and colored like his blue nemesis appeared from the floor next to them. In a quick move, Metal Shadow turned around and shot at the cardboard with his arm cannon until there was nothing left.

"That's what happens to those unwanted who dare near my Daisy." The doctor said cold. He then picked up a football. He tossed it and snapped his fingers again. Metal Shadow shot a large net and caught the ball in the midair. "And this is what happens if she tries to run away. Impressed?" The doctor asked satisfied.

Orbot and Cubot nodded forthwith.

He then turned to Metal Shadow. "Now, with your weapons calibrated, you can be used to your full potential."

The robot then stood erect. "Understood. This unit will destroy Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"Not yet. Right now, I have a more important assignment for you." He inserted a gold piece of hair into his head. The robot read the DNA signature and an image of the girl appeared in his memory banks. "Find this girl, and bring her to me… alive."

"This is not Sonic the Hedgehog! Not this unit's target! This unit-!" It then suddenly turned off, much to Eggman's pleasure, and it turned back on. "Target acknowledged."

The old man chuckled. "A soft-reboot defiance kill-switch… if only I had installed that in Omega. If only it could be installed in the real Shadow. But now, you have been perfected. You think as viciously as you attack. You are my undying, heartless weapon of misery and despair. How do you like that?"

"Mission objective is acceptable. Mission objective: initiated." The robot hedgehog began for the door.

"Are we to accompany Metal Shadow during his first rodeo?" Orbot asked. "Ah reckon it'll be harder than wrangling a bull with a jump rope."

"Listen, boys… you two are terrible robots, and that's great. But you lack experience for such an assignment."

"But you programmed us with a full database of all your advanced technology and known strengths of the Freedom Fighters," Orbot argued.

"Well... if you want an assignment, there is an important assignment that I could never trust those other three trash cans to do."

"Yee-haw!" Cubot slapped hands with his rounded counterpart. They were both rather excited.

But that quickly dissolved as Eggman gave them their job… as well as a sponge on a stick and a bucket. "Mop the bathroom."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Welcome to Mata Nui**

* * *

Shadow tossed and turned, sweating. He muttered her name over and over again. He was having a nightmare about Maria's death… again, but this one was different.

* * *

"Shadow!"

The black hedgehog ran in, and he was almost literally swept off his feet. A window was broken, and everything was being sucked into the cold, airless vacuum of space.

Maria was in the room as well, holding on for dear life. "Help me!" she shouted in fear.

"Hang on, Maria!" He shouted back. "I'm coming!" Shadow snagged a cable from the torn wall. As quickly as he could with the emergency magnets on his shoes on, he inched toward Maria. Then he stopped. Any closer and he might lose grip.

As he reached out for Maria's hand, a sinister laughter came from behind. He turned around to find what looked like a real monster, approaching him. Shadow instantly recognized him. It looked like Black Doom.

"No…" he turned back around to Maria and tried to stretch his arm. "Just… a little… farther…"

Their fingers were just about to touch when the being grabbed Shadow's ankle and pulled him away. "You are my weapon!" he laughed.

"Shadow!" Maria's grip slowly weakened until finally… she let go. Shadow watched in horror and great despair as her friend drifted into space forever.

"Black Doom!" Shadow shouted at the creature, who laughed at him maliciously. Suddenly, his body started to change. His head grew pale, and his chest and arms turned red. The horns on his head were brought to under his nose. Shadow was shocked to be staring at… "Eggman?!"

He laughed maniacally as he pulled out a ray gun. "So long, traitor!" he shouted and blasted the cable towards the open window.

He grabbed onto the ledge of the windowsill, but it was too much. His hands slipped, and he fell into the black expanse of nothingness. He shut his eyes as he screamed, more out of anger than fear.

* * *

The black hedgehog sat up in bed, waking up with a shock. He looked around so find himself in Maria's old bedroom. Part of him was relieved for it to be over, but he was still mad at himself as he tossed the pillow at the wall.

"What's happening to me? Why can't I just have a regular night sleep anymore?" For a moment, he breathed angrily, but he quickly calmed down. After fetching the pillow, he lay back down in bed. He looked out the window, and there it was… a single star in the night sky. The North Star. Somehow, it made Shadow think about old tales from his days of youth.

"Ask, and it shall be given to you," he had once heard from Gerald.

Shadow softly bit his finger, not knowing what to do. Jack was in sleep mode and wouldn't know what happened. Apart from that, he was completely alone, so it seemed like a golden opportunity.

He shrugged. "I can't believe I'm doing this…" He sat up and faced the window. Then he folded his hands and got on his knees, as though he were praying. He looked up at the sky. "Please… all I want is a second chance… "

Almost as though it were on cue, the star became brighter. Shadow stared at it confused as the light continued to grow. Sensing an attack, he pulled out his Chaos Emerald, ready to fight back if necessary. That bright light then became four or five lights. They whooshed overhead toward the center of the ARK, and Shadow followed.

Seconds later, he came into the Green Hills Park when he found the lights hovering in the center overhead. Slowly, he approached them, his senses at full alert. Just as he was a few feet away, a number of shapes appeared within. When the light slowly faded, the shapes shown to be intelligent beings, and wings aside, they appeared to be large humans.

Shadow wasn't sure what they were or where they came from, but he could feel an abundance of energy radiating from them. It felt as though he were standing before an even stronger Chaos Emerald.

One of them approached the hedgehog. In his hand, he held a silver staff with what looked like a Chaos Emerald on one end. He kneeled before Shadow, asking, "Are you the man of black and red, descendant of 'the Professor?'"

The hedgehog stood as though he were about to fight. "Who are you? And how do you know about me?"

"I am Takanuva, son of the king," he replied. "We are Kendov, the immortal protectors from the heart of Mundus."

Another spoke up after him. "But you can call us the Guardian Angels, as many Earth mortals have."

"My advisor, Lewa," Takanuva gestured to the one who spoke previously, and then to another. "Our weapon wielder, Tahu."

The one in question pulled a large sword form a stash on his back. "You feeling lucky, mortal?"

"Ganog, Tahu." Takanuva commanded, speaking in his native language.

"Stiildus hinmaar, Takanuva," replied Tahu as he placed his sword away. "Zu'u nunon laan wah genun mok dii zun do poguk."

The 'son of the king' then directed Shadow to the female of the group, saying, "Our healer, Gali."

"Your heart seems troubled," Gali said to the hedgehog. "A recent loss, perhaps?"

Shadow didn't know how to respond. Usually, an unknown being from another planet would have attacked the planet or him directly by now.

Takanuva turned to the last of the Kendov. "The chronicler, Pohatu."

The one in question glared at the black and red one. "I thought you'd be taller."

He turned back to Takanuva, and he asked, "Are you friends or enemies?"

"Neither," the Kendov replied, "but in the name of the Ziilot – the Great Spirit – we have arrived."

"Why so?"

"To find you…" the Kendov kneeled before him, saying, "Jul Kendov werid! Praise to the Protectors of Man, for they shall defeat the great evil!"

"Jul Kendov? Great evil?" Shadow asked. "What great evil? What are you talking about?"

One of them tried to hold in his laughter.

"Lewa!" Takanuva hissed.

"Frolaaz zey, dii drog," replied the humored one in an laughable apologetic tone. "Zu'u siiv ofanjiik tol unadaan gein mindok ni fos rok lost unadaan fah."

Takanuva looked down at the confused one and explained, saying, "Forgive him. He thinks you do not remember what has happened to you in the days of your youth."

"Days of my-!" Only one thing came to Shadow's head. "What happened that day, the G.U.N…. uh, the protectors of the Earth did by accident. I have come to forgive them over time."

The Guardians stood silent. They turned to one another, with great discussion in their minds. After a long debate, Takanuva turned back to Shadow. "Something has poisoned the memories of your past. What you think you remember is fiikath – an illusion." He then held out his hand to him. "Come with us. We have much to do, and little time to do so."

Shadow was hesitant. 'What is that supposed to mean…?' If these creatures knew something about him that he didn't, then like it or not, he had to trust them. Slowly, he reached for the hand of the said protector, and when their palms touched, Takanuva raised his staff. Almost instantaneously, they were all engulfed in an orb of pure energy.

Shadow tried to shake it off, but it just would not leave him be. The hedgehog then noticed he was hovering in the air. Rather quickly, the staff's power caused him to rise toward the ceiling. Then they somehow passed through the barrier without breaking it. The Kendov were pulling the Ultimate Lifeform far from his home.

* * *

After a long hour of fast travelling through space, Shadow then saw another planet in the distance shrouded in darkness. It was a planet he had never seen before. He flew down into its atmosphere and toward a large land mass. As the ground approached, he came gently to a stop.

He looked around to find himself somewhere he had never seen before. All around him he saw thing he could only dream of. Floating islands in the sky, and there were cities which were made of crystal. He wasn't sure where they were, but he could also feel an abundance of energy here. It felt even greater than when the Kendov found him.

"Welcome to Mata Nui," Takanuva said. "This realm, named in honor of my father, has been our home since time immemorial. The Kendov have devoted their eternities to protecting all the Great Spirit has created."

Then, he and the other Kendov drew the energy from their surroundings. One by one, they began to rise into the air. One of them looked down upon the Mobian. "Join us," he warmly invited.

The coal hedgehog was once again reframing himself from trusting them. However, he could sense the power around him. If needed, Shadow could easily defend himself. So he began to draw the vigor from the atmosphere, and his normally black fur slowly turned into a bright gold. Shadow was now Super Shadow. He leaped into the air, flying after the Kendov.

During their journey, the Mobian asked a question to the scribe, Pohatu. "Your planet was named after your ruler… Why is that?"

"First, a question for you" the archiver replied, "What is the greatest source of power on your realm?"

"Well… we have these stones called Chaos Emeralds…" Shadow then realized where he was going at. "He gave us the seven Chaos Emeralds?"

"Let me rephrase that for you," Pohatu replied. "He gave you seven of the Spirit Stones. That is what we have deemed them to be named. In truth, there millions upon millions of these crystals within Mundus – what you call the universe. It was Mata Nui whom sent them to where they dwell to this day."

The coal hedgehog remained silent after that. The rest of the journey was made with him processing all his newly-acquired knowledge. Soon, the Kendov brought Shadow to a large crystal palace. Within the main hall, there stood a large gem similar to Knuckles' Master Emerald. Two crystalloid rings rest upon the pedestal.

"The Spirit Rings: the vessels used to control the power. Alone, they are useless, but together, they grant the greatest power known in Mundus." Takanuva turned to Shadow. "Take one, for it is yours. Place it upon your finger, and your mind shall be cleansed of the falsehoods you remember."

Shadow slowly yet confidently complied with his orders. When he placed the Ring on… he froze in shock as several images filled his mind.

* * *

The day of disaster began as a day of rejoice. At the Green Hills Park, an immense celebration was thrown in honor of the Ultimate Lifeform's creation. In short, it was Shadow's birthday party.

A large banquet was prepared, which included a cake the size of a boulder. Fireworks were shot out from the outside of the ARK, so as not to burn the plant life within. Half of the Colony had been invited to this momentful occasion... and the rest came anyway.

After lighting the number-shaped candle on the cake, a scientist called the birthday boy up to the stage to blow it out. After singing the Happy Birthday song and the flame extinguished, Shadow was prompted to give a short speech. Given a microphone, he complied to their request.

"My fellow colonists... scientists, experiments, and robots of all models... today is my Big One-Oh!" he began, and everybody cheered. "Ten years here in the ARK has really gone by fast, considering I'm almost twice as old in body and mind. It's funny though. I used to think I was dangerous and that many try to avoid me. But seeing all you have done for me, this being the tip of the iceberg, I just want to say..." Then, Shadow saw something in the glass dome of the Park. "...what in the universe is THAT?!"

Everyone in the party looked where Shadow had pointed. They were as frightened as they were clueless. Above them, covering the Park glass dome, was something large and dark. It had moved to just the right position to block out the sun. Then, a few several feet away formed what looked like a blood red funnel of smoke.

'Aliens?' Shadow thought to himself. 'Well, I hope they're more friendly than the Black Arms...' But he thought too soon.

One of the scientists accompanied by two heavily armed ARK security droids carefully approached the dark abyss. He tried to make contact and show signs of peace. The machines armed their weapons, ready for an attack. Before any of them could do anything, a dark monstrous being leapt at the scientist, sinking its black fangs into his arm. The drones took aim, but then two more creatures appeared and began to tear them apart.

As more monsters of different shapes and sizes appeared, a hoarse cry of fear shouted to the crowd. "EVACUATE! Everyone! To the escape pods!" He didn't need to finish before the mass crowd started running. Before long, all native life forms had cleared out.

Except for Shadow. He fought back against the mosters so that everybody else could get out safely. Chaos Spears were somehow ineffective, but with every Spin Attack he threw, a monster was defeated. But many others kept piling out of the portal. Seeing there was seemingly no end, he nabbed the first to be attacked and ran.

The man howled in pain from his bite. Shadow holding him close ran fast. "Don't worry. You're safe now. I'll get you to a doctor to help you."

But the man spoke as though he were choking. "Joor krumah... wah Makuta. Jul Kendov... kent dir!" As he repeated that strange phrase, his body steadily transformed in Shadow's arms. His skin grew dark and scaley. Spikes grew on his head and back. His teeth and nails grew into sharp fangs and claws. And a long, spiky tail formed from behind.

Shadow was horrified as he witnessed the man become the creature that attacked him. In an attempt to protect himself, he tossed the monster aside and ran. As he continued down the hallway to safety, he heard something that made his body stop, as well as his heart - a high petrified scream. He recognized the voice at once. "Maria!" Turning a corner, he took to her room.

Within, he found three invaders. At the wall opposite was the blonde girl, looking as though she were about to faint. Quickly thinking, Shadow launched a Spin Attack, reducing the creatures to piles of what looked like shadows.

"Shadow!" Maria exclaimed as they embraced. "What's going on? What are those things?"

"No time to find out," the coal hedgehog replied. "We need to get out of here now!" He took her hand, and they ran as more creatures ran after them.

* * *

What once was his past was now an illusion to him. New images took their places. It all happened, he knew that. But evrything was different. "The G.U.N. was innocent… but what were those things that attacked us?"

"In your tongue, they are called 'Dark Hunters'… spawn of Makuta." Lewa answered.

"Okay... and who, or what is Makuta?"

Using his gifted power, Takanuva imaged the scenario to the best of his abilities. Then, he started to explain. "In the time before the Spirit Stones, I dwelled with my father and my elder brother. The elder of us was once a gentle and loving soul, who would one day assume the throne when proven worthy. He valued creation as though he were the Great Spirit. But with such great power, even the purest of hearts can grow corrupt. It was thus that Makuta lost his way. Many who opposed him were defeated, including our king.

"Makuta took domination as his birthright and enslaved us all, but his suleyk bahlok - his hunger for power was not satisfied. All the Spirit Stones father had created was what he craved, with which he would conquer all of Mundus – the universe. Before it was too late, he was defeated on the eve of his triumph. He was stripped of his power and sentenced to wander the stars. But not before leaving a powerful curse upon our world. And so it has been shrouded in darkness to this day."

"But... why did these Dark Hunters attack my homeland?" Shadow asked. His attention was then directed to the near top of the walls. As he studied them, one image in particular stood out to him. "That's… That's me. This was when the Black Arms were defeated."

"The Great Spirit foretold of your coming long before you were created. Hear now, chosen warrior, what the prophecy says..." Takanuva began.

_**"The elder brother shall grow strong on the corrupt energies of man's sins, lying in wait. When the beast is complete, its arms shall encompass Mundus, plunging all into the most feared curse of all, the curse of destruction. A plague the Kendov cannot overcome.**_

"_**When all hope seems lost, a man of dark and a woman of light shall unite after a timeless separation, remember their duty, and hold strong to their destiny. On Yuvon Eruvos – the Year of Gold, the two Jul Kendov shall descend to the realm of Earth from a land lost in time. The two shall search their home for Ziilot Suleyk – the true power of the Great Spirit. And when the hearts of light and dark become one, fair Mundus shall be freed from the great evil."**_

Takanuva turned to the hedgehog and said, "That 'man of dark'… is you."

"Indeed…" Gali said. "Him kos Jul Kendov. You are one of the Protectors of Man. The fate of our worlds… nay, all worlds, depend on you."

The black hedgehog was silent. There were a few seconds where he started to distrust them. However, what they said did make sense. He was a male hedgehog with dark fur, and he was created in Space Colony ARK, a land lost in time. But who was this other protector? Was there another Mobian like Shadow that he had never met?

"Do you doubt our word?" Tahu asked. "Do you doubt the Great Spirit?"

Shadow turned to the Kendov with a small grin on his face. "I determine my own destiny, and I will not say that this 'Great Spirit' of yours does exist," he said. "However, if what you say is true, Makuta poses a threat to the world I've sworn to protect. I will accept the burden with all that I am."

"Then perhaps your destiny will be fulfilled," Takanuva said, proudly. "Hail the Jul Kendov, saviors of all!"

"Hail the Jul Kendov! Hail them with great praise!"

* * *

Before Shadow left, Takanuva came to him one last time. "The shadows of Makuta are powerful. Do not take your journey lightly. It will tolerate none of your weaknesses."

"Thank you for the warning," he replied. "Now, who is this other Jul Kendov? And where can I find her?"

"We do not know her name," the Kendov answered. "The prophecy only describes her as 'a woman of gold and blue,' as you are 'a man of black and red.'"

"Then how do I find her?"

"Trust in the Great Spirit. Let Him be your guide, and when the time comes, He will bring you to her."

Shadow nodded. "I'll be waiting," he said as he pulled out the Chaos Emerald. "Chaos…"

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the ARK, Jack slowly reactivated. He had these crazy dreams where he looked much like Shadow. With him at his side, they fought many monsters to protect the planet for Maria.

Maria… that name felt very familiar to him, but he couldn't process the memory. The thought bugged him so much, it pressed against his hard drive almost literally.

"…Control!" Out of nowhere, Shadow appeared, his fur now completely normal.

Jack asked the obvious question, "Where'd you go, buddy?"

"Let's just say I've learned a lot this morning," the black hedgehog replied. He decided not to let anyone know what just happened yet; else they would think he was crazy.

Jack was confused. He had no idea where he was or what happened. "Okay," he said, hesitantly, "Well, are you ready to go?"

"Go where?"

"You told me you would take me to the cemetery to visit this Maria. Remember?"

Shadow raised his eyebrows. Through all that just happened, he forgot he would take him to do that. "Oh, yeah," he said, upset. He was still slightly depressed to lose her, but he was not aware of what was to come.

But something still lingered on in his mind. The gunshot that took Maria's life… Even with his past made clear, that was still very much as real as everything else. He now knew the G.U.N. was innocent, and the Dark Hunters couldn't have used a rifle. So who killed Maria that day, and why?


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Blood Is Thicker Than Oil**

* * *

Late that day, as the sun was about to disappear for the night, Knuckles and Angel were walking through Station Square, down to a path that ran along the beach. Angel was rather depressed. It had been nearly a week since her sudden growth spurt, and they still couldn't find anybody who might know her. She feared that she would never remember who she was.

The red echidna could tell just by looking at her. "Don't lose hope yet, kid. Maybe your memory'll come back on its own," he said. "Remember anything yet?"

She shook her head silently.

"Oh, well."

As they continued, Hope hit something with her foot. She looked down to find something in the sand, glowing bright blue. She stopped and got down to dig it up, and Knuckles waited to see, slightly confused. Soon, she found it, and she was awestruck as she lifted it up. It appeared to be a sapphire the size of a baseball, and it was beautiful.

Knuckles recognized the stone immediately and nearly jumped. "A Chaos Emerald!"

Angel looked at him, confused. "A What Emerald?"

"That's right. You're only a week old," he muttered. "Allow me to explain…" The red one took the Emerald and began to harness its energy. Angel watched as some of the Energy formed seven more forms of the gem.

Knuckles then started to speak again. "The Chaos Emeralds are mystical gemstones of unknown origin and unlimited power. For hundreds of generations, these crystals have shaped the course of history by many different races. One alone can be used to operate machinery and unlock special abilities for whoever has the inborn gift to harness its energy. But if one were to collect all seven… he or she would possess ultimate power and become unstoppable."

Angel couldn't believe it. So much power all contained in this one stone... "Goodness… Can you imagine what would happen if this fell into the wrong hands?"

"The results would be catastrophic," Knuckles replied. "That's partially why we formed the Freedom Fighters. To pursue and protect these Emeralds."

"Help! Please help!" In the distance, they heard someone calling for anybody. Answering to the call, Knuckles ran over, and Angel followed. Soon, they found the source. There stood a little girl by an old oak. "Help! Mr. Whiskers is stuck in the tree!"

"Step aside, kid. Freedom Fighter to the rescue." In a smooth move, he jumped and grabbed a low branch. He started to climb up the tree until he got up to the one with the cat. "C'mere, little fella," he said in a soft voice.

But the cat was scared. It slowly backed away as he approached until finally, the branch became too weak. It snapped, and the cat fell.

"Uh-oh!" Angel breathed. Suddenly, she disappeared and reappeared under the cat just in time to catch it.

Knuckles saw what happened as he clambered down. "Was that… Chaos Control?"

"Weird…" Angel then warped to the girl, handed her pet over, and reappeared next to the red one. "…but it could be useful."

He stared, surprised. He knew exactly what happened, as he saw Sonic do so with seven Emeralds. "I-it's gettinglate. Let's head back to Chris'," he told Angel, who nodded in agreement. As they started heading home, Knuckles' mind was jammed in overdrive. 'She can cause Chaos Control with just _**one**_ Chaos Emerald? Who is she? And where did she come from?'

* * *

A few short minutes later, they got back to Chris' house. The sight caused Angel to smile, as the recent memories from there returned. It was there at Thorndyke Manor that she felt the most happiness.

Deep down, she didn't really want to go home… wherever that was. She would rather stay with the Freedom Fighters. In the short time there, she saw them as family instead of a group of strangers trying to help her.

At the door, they were greeted by Sonic, Tails and Chris. "Hey, guys," Knuckles said. "Any luck with finding Angel's family?"

"About that… um… do you have a minute, Angel?" the yellow fox asked, slightly nervous.

"Wh… Sure…" She followed them to the kitchen where it was more private.

"Angel, I made a quick DNA scan on a hair you dropped earlier this week, and I discovered many cool things, but also somewhat disturbing," Tails began. "For the first, it turns out you're an synthetic life form. You were made by science. But more to the point, you're a clone."

Angel stared. "What… What's a clone?" she asked.

"Well, think of it as a blank sheet of paper in a printer," Chris explained. "Someone places a colored picture on the scanner and presses the 'Copy' button. You know what happens after that".

"Okay," Sonic said, "so we just need to find the original, and then figure out how often we can visit her."

"We've already found her, Sonic, or rather him…" Chris replied with a small chuckle. "…it's you."

The blue hedgehog stared. Then he laughed. "I knew it!"

"Really?" the yellow one asked surprised.

Sonic nodded, and he took off his left glove, revealing his bean-shaped spot. "We have the same birthmark right here. I didn't want to say, because it seemed too early."

Angel was silent. She wasn't sure what to say. It all seemed so strange.

"Well, think of it this way… we found where you belong in this world, you told me you wanted to stay, and honestly, I always wanted a sister. It's a win-win situation."

"I'm your sister?"

"Well, yes and no. My mother never gave birth to you, but we share the same blood. So in a way, we're twins."

Angel grinned. She wanted to stay with her new friends, and now she could.

* * *

"Dinner's here!" Knuckles said as he entered the manor. In his hands were a few boxes of pizza. In a matter of seconds, everyone was gathered around the table. The red echidna started passing slices around, knowing what each wanted on theirs.

Before they started eating, Sonic interrupted, asking for everyone's attention. Once the room was silenced, he stood up. "I'd like to propose-"

"You don't have to finish, Sonic," Amy cut in. "My answer is yes."

The blue hedgehog shrugged at the pink one. "Not that kind of proposal!" he replied and raised his glass. "As I was saying, I'd like to propose a toast. We've been through a lot lately, and during the time, the bond between us has grown stronger every day. I've seen you all as family instead of just friends, and I'd like to give a warm welcome to the newest member of my family (in more ways than one), Angel the Hedgehog. Here's to you, sis!"

"Here here!" all the others shouted and raised their glasses.

The blonde Mobian couldn't help but blush and smile. What he said was both slightly funny and very touching. "Aw… you guys," she said. Before she could continue, the wall beside them exploded. Both Cream and Tails screamed as dust and rubble fell around them.

Sonic looked at the hole in the wall to find what looked like himself there with an evil look. He recognized it as… "Metal Sonic?!" The creature made itself more visible. "No… Metal Shadow!"

The turned to the blonde hedgehog sitting beside his organic counterpart. "DNA signature recognized. Priority one: retrieve female hedgehog." Suddenly, the machine blasted through the room and carried a screaming blonde Mobian out.

"Hey!" Sonic shouted, and they all ran outside the house to chase after Metal Shadow. "Not cool! Give her back!"

"You are not in position to make any demands, Sonic," his metallic servant replied. "Daisy is property of the Eggman Empire! She will serve Dr. Robotnik."

'Daisy?' Angel thought in wonder. 'Why did it call me that?"

"You just don't get it, do you? She's not a robot! She's an organic being, with her own will and rights, and her own choice!" Cream said angrily.

"Her will is not her own. It belongs to Robotnik," the robot said, scornfully.

"Then taste my will!" Amy yelled in rage and attacked the intruder's leg with a powerful blow. Oddly, it didn't even leave a dent. "What?"

"This unit's turn," Metal Shadow growled and aimed his arm at Amy.

Sonic quickly grabbed the pink hedgehog, and the robot furiously fired at them. While he ran and left to dodge the blasts, everything in his trail was destroyed.

When the robot ran dry for energy units and started reloading, Sonic took his chance. He dumped Amy safely in the grass and attacked the machine with a homing attack. But he just bounced off, just like Amy´s hammer.

"That's it! Now you really made me mad!" Knuckles yelled and rushed to attack the robot holding Angel. But Metal Shadow simply punted him away like a football.

"Fools! This unit is Robotnik's greatest invention to date. No one can defeat this unit!" The robot made a noise which sounded like he was laughing. It was short lived when he was suddenly blasted in the face with a ball of energy.

It turned over to see Chris blasting him with his new arm-cannon just like the one it had. "I think Eggman did me a favor," he chuckled and fired more at it.

The robot double took aim and threw a hand-grenade at the boy. Chris dodged it easily, but the blast knocked him into the wall.

"That's it! You're going down, Metal Schnook!" Sonic shouted. Now he had lost his patience with the robot. He flew at the robot, but then...

"STOP!" Angel cried. Once she shouted, a large shockwave emitted from her body. The blast was strong enough to blast herself out of Metal Shadow's grasp.

"Was that… Chaos Blast?" Tails asked himself.

Angel landed on her feet, and without hesitations she ran full speed. In the distance she can hear her friends telling her to run to safety, and Metal Shadow ordering her to come back. Their words became fainter as she got farther and farther away.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Brawl at the Boneyard**

* * *

The sky was colorless and devoid of all life. Apart from the faint sobbing, all was quiet as family members and friends alike sat before the casket that held Maria Robotnik. In one of the mother's arms, a young infant was sleeping, completely unaware of the event. He was the deceased one's cousin, and one day, he would become the infamous Doctor Eggman.

By unanimous request, Shadow was allowed to attend the funeral, provided some soldiers kept an eye on him. Since he knew her so well, he was asked to give her eulogy. He stood before the podium, tapped on the microphone, and sighed. "Where to begin…?" he muttered to himself. Given the short time, he wasn't prepared.

"Maria was," he began, "the kindest and bravest girl I've ever met. She dreamed to come down here from the ARK and meet all of you. But she gave up her dream so that I may live… That's a debt I'll never be able to repay..." Shadow started to sob as he continued. "I miss her very much…"

After a few hours, he and a few others remained. A G.U.N. soldier placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry… but it's time to go." Shadow silently nodded. Before they could get a chance to restrain him, Shadow took a rose from the surrounding bouquet and placed it in Maria's cold, lifeless hands.

As they headed back to the G.U.N. transport, they were stopped by someone. The black hedgehog looked up to see a man and a woman. "Are you Shadow?" the woman asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Do I know you?"

"No, not officially," the man said. "But you just gave the eulogy for… our daughter."

Shadow's eyes widened. Fear almost consumed him right there, right then. He looked away, afraid of what they would say. He could almost hear it in his head.

'You irresponsible fool! How can you be trusted?'

'We lost our only daughter because of you!'

Shadow's heart sank. Maria's mother lifted his chin and pulled his sight back to them. 'Here it comes…' he gulped. But much to his surprise, they were both smiling.

Maria's mother was the first to speak. "Thank you for taking such good care of our little girl. We're so grateful."

The oddest combination of relief and confusion came over him. "Grateful? But… she died because of me."

"No… she died because she loved you," the woman's husband replied. "You were her only friend, and she saw the good in you when no one else could. We couldn't be more proud of her."

The mother grabbed him in a hug, tears emerging from her eyes. "What happened up there was an accident. It wasn't your fault."

Mere moments later, the soldiers forced them apart, insisting they departed for his specially built prison. He wanted to earn their trust, so to him, he had no choice. As they climbed into the vehicle, Shadow looked back at the coffin. He had just the right view to see Maria, lying within. He started silently shedding tears as he knew this would be the last time he would see her in the flesh.

* * *

Angel stopped to rest under a shady tree. She turned around to see if any robots were following her. Thankfully, she was alone. Exhausted, the hedgehog girl looked around in order to find some shelter, since she had no energy left to run back to the house.

In the distance, two dark shapes appeared. They stopped in front of a square object and laid something down there. As Angel studied them, it seemed they were praying or talking to this object.

Unsure if she can trust them, the blonde hedgehog left the tree and slowly neared the two. But before she could reach them, they left. She kneeled down in the grass and looked down at the square object. She then realized it was really a tombstone, and behind it was a church.

As she was about to stand up and go to the building, something immediately caught her attention. A part of the stone that wasn't covered by old vine was written 'Robotnik.' She pulled away the rest of the plants. Her eyes widened when the rest of the carvings were revealed.

_**Maria Robotnik  
**__**Cherished Granddaughter and Friend  
**__**Faith, hope, and promise keep you alive**_

For a moment, she just sat there and stared at the stone. "Where have I heard that name before?" She looked down to see a single red rose on the grass. "Did I know this Maria?" she mumbled to herself.

All of a sudden, she heard a loud crack. She turned around to see a certain robot a few yards away, who broke a fallen branch under his foot. "Target re-acquired," it said as it approached her.

"You... stay away from me!" Angel stuttered and shuffled toward the church.

"This unit only obeys Dr. Robotnik," Metal Shadow said, coldly. "You will come with this unit to Dr. Robotnik. You will comply immediately."

Terrified, Angel quickly ran to the church, her heart beating furiously, adrenaline rushing to all the corners of her body. When she got to the door, she discovered it was long abandoned, unused since who knows when.

Metal Shadow lunged at the girl, but she was gone in a bright flash when he tried to grab her. "Searching…" He looked around.

He then looked up and relocated his target. She had warped to the tower of the church. "Sonic! Chris! Anybody! Help me!" Angel yelled as she clung for dear life.

"Data entry: Subject's current position allows for limited defense capability, zero retreat capability." The robot then took aim.

Just as Angel reached the top of the tower, something struck her back. She screamed with the full strength of her lungs as a form of electricity surged through her. The girl fell several feet to the ground. Dizzy and weakened, Angel tried to stand up on her unstable shaking feet.

Metal Shadow was now merely inches away. In a last attempt of defense, she tried to hit him with a faint punch. But she missed. She barely had any control over her body.

The evil robot simply glared at the girl's failed attempt to defend herself. Then he grabbed her by the neck and picked her up, like she was a lifeless doll. "This is your final warning," he said in a very angry and threatening tone. "You will return with this unit to Dr. Robotnik. You will comply immediately."

* * *

"I can't tell you how frustrating this is, Shadow," Jack said as they were leaving the graveyard. "That name is just nagging at the back of my head."

As they passed the gate, they ran into Rouge and Omega, who were headed for a nearby restaurant. They invited the two to come along. Just as they were going to reply, a loud scream caught their attention at once. In a heartbeat, Shadow ran for the source, and the other three followed.

The group of four appeared on a nearby hill. The members of Team Dark mistook the robot as Metal Sonic. Jack noticed the unconscious hostage in its grip.

The coal hedgehog jumped off the hill, landing feet away from his metallic counterpart. "I'm only gonna say this once: drop her!"

Metal Shadow heard the voice and turned his head. "Designation: Shadow the Hedgehog, organic copy. On file as traitor to Eggman Empire."

"Copy?" asked Shadow. "I think you're the copy around here. You're comparing yourself to me? Ha! You're not even good enough to be my copy."

"Big words, but only words," it said and dropped the unconscious Angel, who landed face down. "Postpone current objective. Priority one: destroy resistance."

"You won't even get the chance!" The hedgehog drove into the robot with a Spin Dash. But the robot was quick to dodge. "Monster! I'll tear you apart!" Shadow shouted as it kept attacking. "No living creature on Earth is as powerful as I am!"

Metal Shadow zoomed around him. "This unit is not 'living.'" Before Shadow could respond, he was kicked in the jaw, and flew through the air, landing on his feet.

The bat then attacked with a Spin Kick. "My partner. No touchy." Metal Shadow threw his fist at her, but Rouge was quick to dodge. "That's no way to treat a lady. Weren't you programmed with any manners?"

He growled. "This unit's enemies deserve no mercy." Using his arm cannon, he blasted her wing, making her vulnerable. He turned to Jack. "Threat assessment: unknown, considered immediate." Metal Shadow grabbed him around the neck, just like with the hedgehog girl.

"Can't we talk about this over a quart of oil?" he asked as he struggled to break free.

Shadow was about to launch a Chaos Spear at the metallic beast, but he froze when it held its hostage in the Shadow blasted the black hedgehog with his cannon. Weakened, he tried to get up, but then his head was under its foot. "You are good. This unit is better. This unit is superior."

"Wait! Please hear me out!" Jack began, stopping Metal Shadow. "I-it doesn't have to be this way. Take it from a fellow robot: there's more to life than just your primary function. You've got the same inner spark, right? You can be more than a tool, or in your case a weapon."

Metal Shadow stood silently, processing what he said. "I think it's working," Rouge said.

"L-Look, you can process and feel as well as I can. You're a thinking machine, like me. Don't be lead astray as my buddy Shadow was." He then smiled and held out his only arm to the dark robot. "Let's end this in a peaceful manner. Come with us. We can help you."

"Perhaps… you are right. This unit might-!" The kill-switch Eggman installed kicked in. He turned on and glared at them menacingly. "Death to Dr. Robotnik's enemies."

"There's no good in you, is there?" Jack sighed, now depressed. "This Robotnik fellow robbed you of it. You'll… You'll probably kill us all if we don't destroy you, right?"

"Affirmative."

"Well, then… good thing I made a plan B," he grinned. "Now, Omega!"

Metal Shadow turned around. Behind him was the rogue robot arsenal, aiming all of its weapons at him. The robot dropped Jack (who quickly shuffled away with Shadow and Rouge), and he tried to attack, but it was no use. Before he could move a finger, the robot double was bombarded with rockets and bullets until Metal Shadow was down for the count.

"I enjoy Plan B."

The black Hedgehog grinned at Omega, who then picked up the remains of Metal Shadow. He then turned around to the unconscious girl, whose face was blocked by the tall grass. From this distance, she looked a lot like a human girl, like... Maria.

Not getting his hopes too high, Shadow tried to remain cold and approach her. Yet still hoping, he bent down next to her and turned her over to reveal her face. While he stared at her, the same emotion returned from his encounter with the little hedgehog girl he encountered the week before. He didn't realize that it was the same girl. But he did notice that she was a golden hedgehog girl in blue. Perhaps this was the girl the Kendov told him about the other night?

What also caught his attention was she was holding a Chaos Emerald in her hand. For a moment, he looked puzzled at it before he made up his mind. He sighed and picked her up.

Soon he heard more footsteps. They turned to see a partly roboticized boy coming toward them. It was Chris. "Guys! You saved her!"

"You know this girl?" Rouge and Omega ask at the same time.

"I'll explain later. Right now, we need to find a place for her to recover… somewhere Eggman can't find us."

"I think I know just the place," he said and pulled out his Emerald. "Chaos Control!"

* * *

Later that same day at dusk, Eggman stopped to rest under a shady tree. He had been searching all over for 'Daisy' and Metal Shadow, but he had no luck.

He turned annoyed at Cubot. "Are you sure they went this way?" He asked out of anger.

"Actually, pardner," Cubot answered, "I reckon it was y'all who said they went over yonder."

"Well, I 'reckon' it was one of us, 'pardner,'" the doctor replied. "Where is your new voice chip?!"

That's when Orbot showed up with a small piece of machinery. "Got it right here, sir. Just need to install it." He then opened the back of the square one's head, pulled out his old chip, and inserted the new one. "That should do it."

"Finally," Eggman sighed. "No more of that redonkulous cowboy chatter." But what the bot said next proved to be more annoying.

"YAR!"

The old man jumped, landing on his back.

"I'm feeling shipshape with me new voice chip, I am! I beggin' yer pardon, Squire, but me and me matey are gonna sail off and shanghai the princess from that lubber, Sonic. Argh!" With that said, he took off… in the wrong direction.

"I think that's the wrong chip," Orbot pointed out.

"Really?" the elder man asked sarcastically. "Are you sure he doesn't normally speak like a pirate?"

"On the bright side, he's much more exotic now."

"Just go find him and fix that chip!" Eggman shouted, and Orbot hurried after his edged companion. The elder man sighed as he looked around.

Then he noticed and approached the church. Trying to avoid the broken shards of window, he carefully clambered through. When he was on the other side, he was surprised. All he could find was a large hole at the altar.

The old man noticed something else. There was something on a crossbeam dangling over the abyss. "A Chaos Emerald…" He carefully approached it to retrieve the stone of power, but then there was trouble. The wood was weak, and Eggman was too heavy. With a creak and a crack, the beam snapped beneath him. The evil genius fell into the abyss.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**The ****Prodigal Granddaughter**

* * *

Angel slowly opened her eyes, awakening from her unconsciousness. She wasn't sure where she was, but she did know this: she felt… stronger for some reason.

All around her, the most bizarre beings were kneeling before her. Each one looked like a really tall human with wings, and each had a staff with an Emerald. She was unfamiliar with any of them, she knew that much. "Where am I? Who are you?"

One of them raised his head and approached the girl. "I am Takanuva, and we are the Kendov, the protectors of the Mundus. We we have waited long for your return, woman of light."

Angel looked around at the Kendov. Her head held many questions, but no answers. "Woman of light?" she paused and rubbed her head. "What do you mean?"

"Nid eldraag til," one of the Kendov rolled his eyes.

"A great evil is rising, and you are here to defeat it," Takanuva explained.

The hedgehog girl was confused, and rather afraid. She knew nothing about battle.

As she stepped forward to ask them another question, the Kendov suddenly stood ready to fight. "Back, you heartless savage!" But when she took a step back... "Not you! I mean those Dark Hunters behind you!"

Angel quickly turned her head. There, closing in fast, came a number of monsters. Each of them had their own unique weapon. She would have run to the Kendov for safety. But the Dark Hunters were too swift, and they surrounded her.

Fortunately, she was not defenseless. The Kendov, quickly thinking, charged at the creatures. The Dark Hunters proved a noble challenge, but they were defeated. Once it was so, they dissolved into shadows, never to return and exact revenge.

The hedgehog girl was about to thank them for saving her, but Takanuva spoke with worry. "There has not been a Dark Hunter on the realm of Mata Nui in some time. This can only mean that Makuta has returned." He held out his hand to her. "Come. We have no time to waste."

Angel was confused and rather frightened. She wasn't sure what to do. But come to think of it, they did save her. In addition, they obviously knew something about her that she didn't. She smiled, knowing she could trust them, and she took Takanuva's hand.

With their wings spread out, Takanuva and the Kendov began to fly rather quickly. Not too far from where they began, a small squadron of eight flying Dark Hunters appeared. Upon seeing the Kendov, they immediately opened-fire with spears of dark energy. Takanuva dodged the oncoming projectiles, and Tahu pulled out his flame sword, slashing three of the monsters to oblivion.

Two of the remaining five charged at the one carrying Angel, but Gali and Lewa speared them before they were too close. And Pohatu summoned a giant hammer, which madeAngel think of Amy, and he pounded another two to smithereens.

The last of the Dark Hunters, who happened to the largest by far, proved to be more of a threat. Blasting the other Kendov aside, he tried to attack the hedgehog girl. Takanuva, however, raised his staff at the beast. A large, laser-like projectile flew from the gem on its top, blasting straight through the Dark Hunters, and it dissolved into a shadow.

Soon, they arrived at a large crystal palace. Upon landing within, Takanuva held out his staff toward the pedestal before them. "This Ring contains the power of the Spirit Stones, or Chaos Emeralds, as you call them. We have been given the task of giving it to you. Place it on your finger, and your true self shall be revealed."

The hedgehog girl reluctantly agreed and did as instructed. Suddenly, she felt a great suction in her head and chest. Strange images and feelings overwhelm her. She was frightened at first, but then… the girl recognized the images as her own memories. Angel turned to the guardians, each with a small smile. She grinned in thanks as she was pleased to remember who she was and who her images were. "I… I should be on Earth. Why am I here?"

"To fulfill the prophecy," Pohatu said, "It is just as the Great Spirit foretold… 'The lost Jul Kendov - "Protector of Man" - would return to the living on the Year of Gold.' You are destined to save all worlds from Makuta, the Dark Lord."

"Jul Kendov werid!" they all shouted in unison.

The hedgehog girl was confused. She had no idea what they were talking about, though one thing was clear. "The Year of Gold? Wait… H-How long have I been in that stone for…?!"

"Fifty of your realm's revolutions…" another said out of despair. "I regret to inform you, mortal, that almost everyone you once knew now dwells with the Great Spirit in eternity."

This didn't take long to sink in, and when it did, small tears escaped from her eyes. The intense sadness she felt from knowing her grandfather and all her friends were gone was too much to handle. "Wait… almost?" That caught her attention, and for just a moment, she stopped crying and waited for what the guardian had to say.

"Yes, you are not the only Jul Kendov, nor are you alone in your quest. There is another survivor from your youth, and I'm sure you know him well. I shall send you back to him, but first, one final gift for you." Streaks of light flew from all around Takanuva, many of which came over to her. Once a large number of streaks encircled her, the girl rose into the air, dissappearing into a light that blinded her. All the while, Angel heard one last time from Takanuva. "Now, return to your home realm. Use the strengths of the Kendov, and fulfill your destiny."

* * *

When she opened her eyes, she was faced with faded stars and a moon. She sat up and looked out a window. Outside she saw a big, blue and green ball surrounded by black. 'Am I… home?'

Then she felt something by her hand. The hedgehog girl pulled it over to find a very familiar toy cat. She tightened her grip on the old toy, as she now remembered how she met the black hedgehog and how much he meant to her.

"Oh, you're awake," said a voice from the side. Sonic showed up with some food for her. "You alright? Nothing broken?"

She looked up at her brother and smiled. "Sonic… I remember now. Everything."

* * *

In another silent room on the ARK, Shadow sat with a wrench and socket. Tails was there as well, configuring some programming. Each was working on upgrading on Jack the robot, and they were almost finished. All that was missing was the legs.

"So wait," Shadow. "The blonde hedgehog is a clone of Sonic? But how is it that she is female instead of male?"

"We're just as confused as you are, Shadow," replied the fox.

They reactivated the project, and it woke with a shock. "That was a neat dream I had…" Jack looked at himself in the mirror nearby. The formerly damaged robot was completely remodeled as Metal Shadow. He saw that he was black with gold stripes on his head. He had green optics and his left arm contained a cannon. His power gem was embedded in his gold chest. The robotic hedgehog gave a smug smile and said, "…or maybe I'm still having it."

The black and red hedgehog rolled his eyes.

"I could get these recovered Metal Shadow parts to work on their own," Tails added. "But once they've joined to your matrix, your new self-repair function incorporates them faster than I can modify them."

"Well, either way, you certainly know your way around a wrench." Jack then heard a slightly depressed sigh. He turned to Shadow. "You alright, buddy?"

"Well, I…"

Before he could say anymore, a familiar laugh started to echo through the halls. To him, it sounded like Black Doom, but he was still uncertain of it. He knew he wasn't the only one onboard, since he brought some company.

"Hello?" he asked, but nobody answered. "Is someone there?" Still nothing. Sensing a probable trap, he pulled out his Chaos Emerald, ready to fight. Slowly, he left the room.

Inch by inch, Shadow moved toward the source of the sound, his senses at full alert. Soon, he came into a rather dark room with faint light. From it, there appeared to be a number of shapes, each of which was indeterminable to see what it was. Shadow stepped in, clenched the Emerald, and threw the light switch on.

"SURPRISE!" multiple voices shouted loudly.

"CHAOS BLAST!" the black hedgehog shouted, and a huge mass of Chaos energy exploded from his body. He landed on the floor, ready for a battle. "Huh?"

It was all the other Freedom Fighters. More of the shapes included a now broken table, splattered food, and a torn banner with the words 'Happy Birthday' printed on the front. All of those were destroyed when he used his attack.

"I told you guys a surprise party was a bad idea," Knuckles said, annoyed.

Shadow palmed his face, mostly annoyed at himself. "First of all, you know better than to surprise me like that. Secondly, how did you know it was my birthday?"

"Well," began Rouge, "you seemed a bit depressed today. We were all curious as to why, so we did some snooping." Everyone looked at the bat with narrowed eyes. She sighed. "Alright, I did some snooping, and I found out that you were created on this day many years ago."

"And we decided to throw you a party to celebrate." Cream jumped in.

"We put up tons of decorations," Chris said.

"Cream and I baked a delicious cake for you," Vanilla added.

"And I ordered a custom piñata, shaped like Sonic," Knuckles chimed in. "You know you want to hit it with a stick."

Shadow was a bit uncertain if he wanted a party right now. "Well, thanks, everyone. I really appreciate it, but I'm not really in the mood right now. I kind of trashed the party, anyway." He then turned around to the door. "I'll get some stuff to clean up this mess," he said as he walked away.

Most of the others were glancing at each other, asking what to do. Clearly, something was wrong. "I'll go talk to him," the bat said and then went after him.

As Shadow left, Jack stopped him, his legs now fully assembled on their sockets. "Where are you going? The party's that way."

Rouge was quick and able to find him down the hall. "Alright, what's wrong?"

The black hedgehog stood there, not turning back. "I just… don't like surprises," he replied.

"C'mon," Rouge shrugged. "We went through all this trouble to make you happy. So are you going to at least try to enjoy yourself? Will you tell us what's wrong? Or do I have to get all sappy and invoke Maria for the hundredth time?"

It took everything inside of him not to yell at her at that instant. He shut his eyes tightly, fighting the tears that overwhelmed him every time his late friend was mentioned. And as painful as thorns to the throat, the words came out of him. "It's… It's been fifty years… today."

The white bat stopped there, feeling sorry for him. She could tell how much he was hurting, and she knew that Shadow was the type of person to put up defenses around his feelings. So in a way, she knew this conversation wouldn't last long.

But Rouge still tried her best to somehow make things better for her comrade. "S-sorry, Shadow. I didn't know. If there's any way we could make you feel better, I'll…"

"You can't. Nobody can," Shadow banged his fist against a wall. It cracked open from his strength.

"Yeesh… someone needs a hug," Jack muttered. "And yet, it's so strange. I know there was something about this Maria that nobody was supposed to know yet, but… I just- I can't remember what it was... OH! A mind is a terrible thing to lose!" the robot made a sound like crying.

All the while, Shadow noticed something. In the crack in the wall, he saw a piece of machinery. It was just barely close enough for him to reach it. As he studied it, he remembered one of the missing pieces from Jack's old body, and…

"Jack, I think I just found your mind. Hold still." The robot did as told. Tails stood behind him and entered the drive into an outlet behind his neck. "And… download."

The robot shook and stuttered. Data flowed into his main computing unit until the download was complete. "Uh… What just happened? The last thing I remember was..." Jack paused and smiled. Then he laughed. "It's all coming back! All my memories! Right up to the surprise plan to resurrect Maria in the form of a Mobian Hedgehog!"

Suddenly, another voice echoed through the empty halls. It was a voice the hedgehog and robot knew exceedingly well.

"Speaking of which…"

Shadow turned around to a nearby corridor with the same concept in mind. Without a second thought, Shadow bolted away, leaving Rouge behind. As he continued down the hall Shadow noticed the Ring he received from the Kendov began to glow brighter.

* * *

The hedgehog followed the sound of the voice though the halls and labs until finally, he came to the Green Hills Park. Not far into there, he saw two figure under the tree on the hill, the last place he saw Maria before the attack. He stepped forward slowly, trying not to make a sound. Once he was close enough, he froze. His eyes widened in surprise.

The figure he saw was indeed the blonde-haired hedgehog he rescued from the graveyard. She looked out over the horizon, her arms crossed in loneliness. She somehow knew she would find someone here, like she could feel it inside of her.

Suddenly, she heard the voice call out to her. "M-Maria? Is that you?"

The girl froze at the spot. 'That voice…' She slowly turned around to see the black and red hedgehog at the bottom of the hill. Her heart was overwhelmed with joy when her blue eyes met his crimson ones. "You… it's you... Shadow, you're alive!"

Without a single hint of hesitation, Shadow and Maria ran toward the other, not stopping until their sight was reached. They wrapped their arms around the other and held each other tight.

The soft scent from her hair caused a few tears to fall from Shadow's eyes. "You're real… You're alive. I thought I'd never see you again!" And for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Shadow was so happy that he began to cry. He didn't care how pathetic he looked. All that mattered to him was his beloved Maria had returned.

His friend tightened her grip around him. "Oh, Shadow! I missed you so much…! I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am right now!" Maria completely broke down, weeping into his soft, white chest. "Don't you ever leave me again, Shadow the Hedgehog!"

Unknown to either one of them, Rouge was watching them from behind a nearby tree. She was amazed to know Shadow's best friend had survived, and she was pleased… but why did she feel so upset? She ran the opposite direction.

* * *

After a long half-hour of mixed laughter and tears, they settled down and calmly held each other in their arms. Shadow then squeezed a little too hard, and Maria quietly yelped in pain. "Oh. Sorry," he chuckled and loosened his grip to the point where they could look the other in the eye.

"I almost forgot how strong you are," she said and noticed a droplet on his cheek. "Whoa, what? You have tears? I don't think I've ever seen you cry before," she teased.

"I wasn't crying," The black hedgehog chuckled as he dried his eyes. "I-It's liquid joy. THere's a difference. It's subtle, but there's a difference."

Maria giggled. Then she saw someone coming behind Shadow. "Sonic..."

The blue hedgehog grinned cheekily. "I've heard that love couldn't be killed, but this is rediculous." Seeing the red accumulate on their cheeks, he laughed. "I'm talking about the 'best friend' sort of love.

Then Maria saw a robot coming toward. She jumped in shock. "It's Metal Shadow! Run!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the machine told her before she could retreat. "Maria, it's me!"

The blonde hedgehog froze at the sound of his voice. She recognized the gem in the machine's chest. "Jack?"

"You… you built me. Remember that?"

"And you're still alive?"

"I'm a robot. I can't die, because I have no soul." An awkward silence filled the air. "Yeah… that sounded better in my head." Everyone laughed.

"But seriously," Shadow asked Maria. "How is this possible? How did you survive?"

"It's a long story," she replied.

"Well, I doubt we'll be leaving soon, so we have plenty of time," Shadow said.

As they started back to the door, Sonic and Jack started to explain. The robot told of how her life energy was stowed away in the Emerald, while the hedgehog laid out the tale between her sudden growth and now.

Shadow didn't respond apart from the occasional question, and when the story was over, Shadow was almost silent. "Alright, I get it. Professor Andersen had a backup plan for if Gerald couldn't find a cure. But... why didn't you guys tell me? You could've saved me from a lot of grief."

"Remember that surprise I mentioned that day?" Maria replied. "This was that surprise. The idea was we would use the machine that day. I didn't know I was gonna be stuck in there for this long."

Shadow stared. Then, he chuckled. "You know what? Nothing surprises me anymore." Everyone laughed again. Then the coal hedgehog noticed a tear in Maria's eye. "You sure you're alright?"

"Oh. Nothing's wrong," she replied with a small yawn. "I'm just so happy… that you're still alive…"

Shadow smiled as his friend nearly fell asleep on him. "Here. I'll take her to bed," he said to the others, who nodded in response. He then started carrying the drowsy girl away. Before he left, he chuckled as he heard the blue Mobian say what sounded like, "Wait 'till I tell Chris."

Fortunately for Shadow, her room was not far away. When they got there, Maria was set down on her bed, Jack removed her shoes, and Shadow tucked her in. "Goodnight, Maria… and welcome back," he whispered. He and Jack started to leave when she opened her eyes and saw them.

"Sh–Shadow, wait," she said, stopping the other Mobian in his tracks. "Um... Could you… stay here for the night? We just got back together, and I don't want you to leave me just yet."

Shadow stared at Maria for a moment with a serious expression, but that broke into a small grin. "Sure…" The black and red one then looked around. "I know there's a chair in here somewhere…"

"You're sleeping in a chair?"

"I've done it before, so don't worry about– Oh, here it is." He pulled out a folding chair and started to set it up.

The girl glanced at it, and then at him. "You realize it'll be cold, right? This thing's made for humans, so there's enough room for us both."

Shadow's cheeks burned at the thought. "I-I think I can handle it," he said nervously as he took his shoes off.

"What's wrong? You didn't seem to mind when we were kids."

Back in the day, they would often have sleepovers in each other's rooms. Since mattresses were hard to move, even for him, they would sleep in opposite ends of one, and only their toes would touch.

"Have I said or… done something?" she asked in a slightly sad tone.

The male hedgehog reacted with a little shock. "N-no! Not at all. It's just…" he stood up. "Well… we aren't children anymore, or at least I think that. I was just..."

"Shadow, it's okay. Nothing's going to happen," she said calmly. "I trust you, and you trust me, don't you?"

The ebony hedgehog thought for a second and sighed in a pleasant way. "Well, alright… but just for tonight." He then lifted the sheets and carefully laid himself next to her. There was only one duvet, so they had sleep close. As he started to relax, Shadow whispered something into his friend's ear. "Hey…"

Maria turned to look at him.

"Never alone, always together…"

The girl giggled as she slowly closed her eyes. "…Shadow and Maria, best friends forever."

Shadow watched her for a while. When he knew she was asleep, he smiled and took her hand into his. Even for his birthday, it felt like the best day of his life. Reunited with the girl he cared for the most, and of all things, she was now a Mobian Hedgehog. It was the craziest wish came true he could ask for.

Then he looked out at the starry sky, thinking of the wish he made earlier. Perhaps there really was someone out there looking out for him... Someone who watched over all of creation and loved all things equally and unconditionally. "Thank you… Thank you for the second chance…"

Suddenly, a bright light emerged from their hands. He quickly let go, and the light subsided. When it settled, Shadow looked at his hand, then at Maria's. There on her finger was the same piece of jewelry he had on his… The Spirit Ring...

"On Yuvon Eruvos – the Year of Gold,' a voice echoed in his head, "the man of dark and the woman of light will descend to their realm from a land lost in time…"

Shadow's eyes widened. He remembered it was the fiftieth year of her supposed death… the Golden Anniversary. This year must have been Yuvon Eruvos. Maria was the woman of light. She was the other Jul Kendov! Takanuva and the Kendov had told him this would happen, but this was far beyond his original expectations. Perhaps her being a Mobian had something to do with this Makuta thing?

For once in his life, Shadow was scared. What if Maria was to die again before or even during the battle? What if…? 'No. Not again,' Shadow thought to himself. 'No one should suffer being killed once, let alone twice.' On that night, in that spot, he made a solemn and determined vow to protect Maria, whatever the cost. If he had to die so that she could live, so be it.

A small yawn sounded from the other side of the bed, and Maria rolled closer to him. The sudden reaction caused the hedgehog boy's heart to skip a beat. When she found herself nuzzling up to him, she laid her head on his shoulder, laid an arm on his chest, and breathed a blissful sigh.

At first, Shadow felt a little nervous about this. On the other hand, it was she who had invited him to sleep next to her. And it was as innocent as it was comfortable. What could be wrong with a little snuggling? He smiled, slowly rolled over and slid his arms aroung the girl's waist. "Good night, old friend…" He then leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

Once Shadow fully closed his eyes, Maria looked at him and smiled. 'Sweet dreams, my love…' she thought to herself.

* * *

All the while, a certain white bat was watching them through the security system. She was rather unhappy at such a sight. Part of her was pleased to see Shadow with a smile, but simultaneously…

"You are agitated," a voice said. She turned to see Omega coming in. "Usually, I am the one on overnight sentry duty. You are not awake at this time."

Rouge kept silent. She did not dare speak.

The robot looked to the image of Shadow and Maria, his head tilted. Even though he didn't have any facial expression, it was obvious he knew what was happening. "You fear that we may lose Shadow to her, do you not?"

She kept her back turned on him, not knowing what to say.

"I have already made the calculations. There is a chance we will see him less often than we do now, but he will not leave our team," he assured her, but to no avail.

"Bah!" She shoved the robot aside and stormed away, frustrated.

"Was it something I said?"


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Deviled Eggs**

* * *

The doctor moaned in pain. He rubbed his eyes from behind his glasses and slowly sat up. Eggman slowly woke up to find himself in total darkness. He couldn't even see the nose on his face. The old man chuckled. "Finally, a use for my night-vision glasses." He tapped a button on the rim of his glasses. He could see he was in a seemingly unexplored cavern.

Then, he tapped a device on his wrist. "Eggman to Orbot and Cubot. I'm trapped in a cave. Lock on to my coordinates, and help me out."

All he could hear on the other end was static.

"Orbot. Cubot. Come in. Do you copy?" Nobody answered him. It became clear that he was too deep beneath the surface to reach a signal. "Looks like I'm getting out of here the old fashioned way…" Eggman slowly stood up. The soft earth made him sink, but he managed, and off they went down a nearby tunnel.

The dark caverns seemed endless. The old man felt his aged bones begin to ache, and he almost contemplated stopping to rest. If that were the case, he would have to return to the soft mound of soil. But then, Eggman could see there was some form of light being generated nearby, so he slowly approached the end of the tunnel. Then his eyes were wide with wonder.

The tunnel opened up to a large chasm carved out from the cavern. Torches were along each of the four walls, acting as the source of light. In the center of this room stood what looked like a statue of a human with wings. It was standing on one knee, as though it were dying, and it held out its hand toward the doorway.

"The lost prison of the Dark Gaia… I've found it." The old doctor slowly approached the statue, unaware of what might happen. He was mere inches from the extended arm, the words of the scroll echoing in his head.

'When given the power of the Spirit Stones, he shall be released and obey his master: he who makes the Dark Gaia free.'

The doctor reached into his pocket for the Chaos Emerald. He eyed it and the stone figure. 'Could this be a "Spirit Stone?" I wonder…' His assumptions were correct. When Eggman placed the stone into the palm of its hand, the Emerald began to glow a menacing red glow, and the chamber began to shake and crumble.

The fingers from the outreached hand formed a grip around the gem. Its color drew darker and darker until it was the blackest black. Slowly, the stone statue became pale flesh and clothing with dark color. Its wings, as dark as the night.

Eggman laughed exultantly, feeling more proud of himself than he had ever felt before. "Rise, Dark Gaia! Rise for your new master!"

When the transformation reached its face, two black, soulless eyes opened. The piercing red pupils quickly caught sight of the human dictator. "You!" he growled in a dark, crackled voice. The way he spoke made Eggman quickly lose his confidence. "You and I have unfinished business." Using the power from the now corrupted Chaos Emerald, he threw Eggman into a nearby wall, restraining him with the power.

"What is the meaning of this?!" shouted Eggman, knowing nothing about what the other meant. "Release me! Obey me! I am your master!"

"_**SILENCE!**_" The dark one roared so loud that stalactites cracked and fell from the ceiling. "I am Makuta, firstborn of Mata Nui. Los nimunro aar. I serve no mortal. As for you… unless you want me to destroy you, you are going to give me what I want."

The elder doctor could see there was no sense to reason with him. Seeing no alternative, he surrendered out of fear. "What… What do you want from me?"

"You will bring me your kiindah – your creation."

"I'll… I'll see what I can do. Just let me live." As though it were on cue, the Chaos energy restraining him had disappeared, and Eggman fell to his hands and knees.

"That's better…"

Eggman quickly collected himself as he dusted himself from the fall. "First thing's first: we need to get out of here. Now, I suggest–!"

Before he could finish, Makuta raised an arm – the same one with the Emerald. A surge of power blasted from the stone, carving through the stone until the daylight shone into the tomb. He hissed loudly. "The light of the morning star… so blinding after so many years…"

"Your eyes will adjust. Now, let's go."

* * *

After finding Orbot and Cubot, the four proceeded to the island fortress. Eggman lead Makuta to one of the robot assembly lines. There, he temporarily turned it on to allow for a brief demonstration. "Transformation 101: Elements to Electronics," he stated. "Boom! Instant army, and it's all yours. I hope you find it to your satisfaction."

Unfortunately for Eggman, Makuta was furious. "Is this meant to be _**HUMOROUS?!**_" he shouted. "Ni hin kiindah! These things are not your creation, for they have no souls!"

"Hey!" Orbot was displeased.

"He be right…" his edged counterpart sighed.

The confusion accumulating within the old man was overwhelming. "I-I'm sorry, but that's-!"

"Enought of your foolery! Where is your creation? Where is the man of black and red?!"

"'Black and red?' I have no idea what-!" Finally, it clicked. Eggman could think of one being that fit Makuta's description. "Shadow... that traitor who works for the G.U.N. You're after him?"

"Do not fool with me, Professor. Where is he?"

Eggman grinned, showing his teeth. Now he understood why the dark lord seemed to recognize him. "I am Doctor Eggman. The 'Professor,' my grandfather, died decades ago. But I think I can still help you." Approaching a nearby computer, the doctor pulled up a picture of a certain Mobian. "Is this him?"

"Finally…" Makuta hissed.

"He is commonly referred to as 'Shadow the Hedgehog.' A super-soldier created to carry out my grandfather's wishes. Like you, I released him from a state of suspended animation about a decade ago, but the blasted rodent rebelled against me. He's been a thorn in my side ever since." Eggman pointed to Makuta. "I will help you find him, but in return, maybe you could provide my Empire with something… useful, shall we say?"

Makuta knew exactly what to offer. Using the Emerald, a large number of dark monstrous creatures emerged from the ground, surrounding the four. "Behold, the Dark Hunters. This is but a small number of the infinite I already possess. Perhaps they could be of use to you."

"Intriguing…" Eggman replied. "With these things, I wouldn't need my badnik assembly line anymore. The extra energy could be used to power my Empire for ages. We have a deal!"

"Then you are the first of few to be my grah-zeymahzin – my brother in arms." Makuta grinned evilly. "We will need more brothers to destroy the man they call Shadow."

Eggman shrugged. "Tell that to the Black Arms."

"But we and many others have what they did not… experience. Together, we could bring an end to not just Shadow, but all others who oppose us. This will be the start of our alliance… of the Dark Destruction Legion."

"Indeed… except it shall be called the Egg Emperor Legion."

"I am the master. Dark Destruction Legion."

"I freed you. Egg Emperor Legion."

"Dark Destruction Legion!"

"Egg Emperor Legion!"

"Dark Destruction!"

"Egg Emperor!"

"Dark–!"

"Egg–!"

Silence fell… For a moment, they stared, lost in thought. Then they grinned and shook the other's hand. "Dark Egg Legion!" So from then on, whether it was a mere county jail or an elite G.U.N. prison, the two would travel to and fro collecting all enemies of the Freedom Fighters.

* * *

Before then, they were still short-handed. By combining Eggman's badniks with Makuta's Dark Hunters, they would be able to create the ultimate army. With the Freedom Fighters absent, they had no fear of limitation or interference.

Eggman was already in work of a mighty flying battle station. He would finish the design, while Makuta planned the internal defenses, until finally… their enormous station was complete.

It was said that the fortress was large as a mountain, and looked like Robotnik's face. The Dark Egg Legion watched in admiration as Eggman and Makuta approached it. "At last… time to christen the Death Egg! Care to do the honors, milord?" The doctor asked and handed him a bottle of champaign.

"No… you may christen the Dark Star," Makuta insisted.

They glared at each other once again. After a few seconds, the old man came up with another compromise. "Dark Egg?"

"Dark Egg."

Robotnik smashed the bottle against the ship. "I christen thee the Dark Egg! Now, onto the next phase of our incredibly brilliant plan." After they boarded and the ship launched, Eggman and Makuta reached the bridge of the Dark Egg. "Now then, let's continue looking for Shadow."

For the next few weeks, Eggman's badniks and Makuta's Dark Hunters secretly patrolled the Earth. Should they find Shadow, they would bring him to them or at least alert their bosses. But no matter how hard they searched, it was no good. One day, two weeks later, Orbot and Cubot came to the Death Egg's bridge. "Do we have the black hedgehog's location?" asked Makuta.

"No," Orbot replied, "but I think I found the right voice chip this time." He then inserted it into his edged companion. "I hope this works… how are you feeling?"

"Ah feel rather strange. Dis may not be me right voice chip y'know?" Cubot answered in a very bad Scottish accent.

Eggman palmed his face out of frustration. "So unprofessional… we might as well be searching for the Ark of the… Wait! That's it! Of course!" He then approached the ship's database. "Computer, access the security surveillance system for Space Colony ARK."

"One moment…" the computer replied. Eggman and his geometrical bots waited patiently. Makuta, on the other hand, was confused about the current plan. "System accessed. Displaying images…" Soon, many live recordings were being broadcasted to the four. They scanned the images in order to find the Ultimate Lifeform...

"Sweet Mother o' MacDonald!" Cubot uttered in shock and pointed to the screen he was looking at. On that picture were Shadow and a blonde Mobian hedgehog snuggling in bed.

Eggman nearly threw up in his mouth, he was surprised... and furious. "He was bad enough as it was! First, he betrays the Eggman Empire, and now he's sleeping with my daughter! My Daisy!"

"You're descendant is the same as Shadow? Yet you are human?" Makuta asked.

The old man quickly calmed down to explain. "Yes and no. She's an artificially created life form, made possible through my genius and available technology dating back to my grandfather's time," he said as he pulled out the inventor's log book. "But don't take my word for it. Here. See for yourself."

The dark commander hesitated, but he did as told. He received the book from the doctor and opened it on the blueprints of the cloning machine. However, assuming it was not the start of the research, he flipped back a few pages. That was when he noticed an old and very detailed illustration of a green crystal on a string. He then started to read aloud.

"_This crystal is the last leftover fragment of the Master Emerald. It is called the 'Soul Stone' or 'Soul Catcher' by an ancient Echidna race. They used these to bring their warriors and more special members back from the dead…"_

Eggman raised his eyebrows in wonder as his new ally continued.

"_All attempts to cure Gerald's beloved granddaughter, Maria, have so far failed. We still haven't figured out a way to transfer Shadow's immune system to her. I sadly witness her conditions getting worse each day that pass; I can tell it torments my boss that he can't do anything. I therefore decided to use an alternative to save her, if Gerald can't cure her in time. _

_"I recently learned some history about the ancient Echidna society, and among the tales, I have learned their secrets of reincarnation. In my travels to Mobius, I have finally managed to obtain a Soul-Catcher. A reminder: these majestic emeralds possess the ability of capturing the soul and spirit of the person who carries it if he/she dies, and transfer it to a new suitable body._

_"I have followed the instructions closely and analyzed the calculations on how to create a machine that can fabricate a soulless body. It is very important that the host is alive and at the same time empty. Unfortunately, there is an error which I have yet to purge from the system. While the machine can fabricate a new body for the subject's life force, there are some inexplicable issues with retrieving the subject's memories."_

At first, Eggman thought this newfound knowledge was a joke. "That can't be right. Give me that." He snatched the book back and quickly flipped through the pages he had heard. When he was finished reading, he froze, and the book slipped from his fingers.

The old man sat down for a moment and just stared in the empty air, trying to gather his thoughts. "She's back… she's back," he whispered, stunned.

"Boss?" Orbot asked.

"I, uh… I'll be right back…" The elder doctor shakily exited the room. As soon as the door closed, the remaining three heard a loud, long, bloodcurdling scream.

Makuta faced the other two. "Strange… One would think that he would be pleased to know his sister was alive."

"Cousin, actually," Orbot corrected, "but yes, it is rather peculiar."

"Well, at least someone's pleased," Cubot added, referring to the black hedgehog. "Ah mean the laddy hasn't seen her in fifty years."

"What?!" Makuta asked.

"Exactly fifty years ago, Miss Maria was supposedly killed by accident in the event of saving Shadow's life," Orbot started to explain. "It's a rather invigorating tale. If you like, I could–"

"No! Leave me be!" the dark lord demanded.

"But, Master Makuta–!"

"That's an order!"

The two robots hesitated, but they slowly vacated the room, leaving the commander alone to think. He glared at the image of Shadow and Maria cuddling in bed. All the while, they began piecing the facts together about the two unaware lovebirds. A man of black and red… a woman of gold and blue… reunited after fifty years in a city above the Earth… It was them. He was no closer to finishing them now than he was years before...

* * *

Makuta watched in anticipation as his Dark Hunters filled the ARK. One by one, victim by victim, the inhabitance were converted into the savage beasts that invaded. Soon, their leader's ultimate triumph would be at hand.

Then, the dark lord saw something out of the corner of his vision. It was Shadow and Maria running for their lives. Seeing how much of a challenge the boy had proven himself to be, he decided to take care of them personally.

Suddenly, somebody had appeared before him. A Kendov, just like him. Makuta grinned in pleasure! *Takanuva! Brother! Let us finish them together!*

*Silence, you fool!* Takanuva aimed his staff toward the ARK, and all at once, the Dark Hunters had vanished. *Lewa, take us now!*

A bright flash later, the two brothers were back home, in the castle of their father. Surrounding them were a number of Kendov. *Why have you done this?*

*Do you not know what you have done, Makuta?*

*I was showing my might and worth!*

*You were slaughtering innocent mortals like a grohiik among gokhos! This is against the sacred law of the Kendov!*

Makuta argued back, saying, *The mortals must learn to fear me, for fear brings power in Mundus!*

*That's pride I hear from your voice, not leadership. Have you forgotten the leader you once were, in the time before the Spirit Stones?*

*The brother of the past is no more. The old ways are done! This is how one must be ruler, by showing your power is unmatched!*

*You know the Kendov are not all powerful. The Great Spirit gives and takes away. He is all powerful!*

*HE IS A FOOL AND SHOULD KNEEL TO ME!*

The realm of Mata Nui fell silent. All of the others Kendov muttered amongst themselves. Takanuva felt the most hurt. *No... Father was the fool... to have thought you deserve this...* He didn't want to do this to his brother, but he had no other option. *Makuta, firstborn of Mata Nui, you have betrayed the realm of the Kendov and the Great Spirit. Through your own foolishness, you have exposed these peaceful realms and innocent lives to sin and DEATH!*

He struck the bottom end of his staff down to the floor. A large magnitude of energy flew from his staff and restrained Makuta.

*You are unworthy of this realm! You are unworthy of your title! YOU ARE UNWORTHY... of the family you have betrayed...* Tears of regret emerged from Takanuva's eyes. What he was about to do, he really didn't want to. *I now take from you your power! In the name of Mata Nui and the name of the Great Spirit, we cast you out of the realm that was once your own!*

Makuta could feel the energies he once had being withdrawn from him, like venom from the bite of a serpent. Behind him, a black hole emerged. It began to pull him in.

*You are banished, Makuta! We expel you from this realm to wander the stars until the Great Spirit returns from His realm!*

*Curse you, Takanuva!* Makuta shouted. *This is not the end! Mundus will be mine! I will return! I WILL RETURN!* With that, the elder brother was pulled into the black hole, which closed immediately.

Silence swept through the area. The tyrant had been sent away forever, but was he truly gone for good? Even with him defeated, the darkness that plagued Mata Nui still remained.

*What should we do, my king?* asked Gali in worry.

*Pray that the Great Spirit will protect us... that's all we can do,* replied Takanuva.

* * *

"The realms shudder, Mata Nui," Makuta said though nobody could hear him. "The hearts of the Jul Kendov have united once more. Again, the prophecies of the Great Spirit oppose my will." Makuta then approached the control panel. He waved his hand over it, and it plotted the course for the ARK.

But before he could have the Dark Egg begin for its destination, he heard a voice. "**Enough...**"

Makuta look around to ascertain the source. "Who said that?" he asked. "Show yourself!"

"**I am He whom you are persecuting,**" replied the voice. "**You will not have Mundus. The Jul Kendov will fight you. They will overcome you. Mundus is not yours to control.**"

Makuta stood silently. The voice was unmistakable. "So you come to me after all this time... you care not about me. Only them..." He looked up at the ceiling. "It matters not. Mindok hin kes. I know your limits."

"**You know nothing.**"

"I know that Shadow and Maria are the only two who can defeat me. I know what it will take for them to find your true strength. And I know that fear will prevent them." He pressed the button, and the Dark Egg began for the ARK. "I will have my way. Their unity shall be poisoned. Their duty will be broken. Their destiny… I must shatter." On that note, he left the room, ready for his revenge on the Great Spirit.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**New Beginnings**

* * *

"You wanted to see me, grandfather?" In the doorway of one of the living rooms onboard the ARK, a young girl stood. An elderly man sitting on an easy-chair near a large window gave her sign to sit on a sofa near him. As she came closer she could see he was sad… very sad. She sat down in front of him, and he poured some tea which he gave to her. "Thank you," she said and took a small sip.

"Maria… how do you feel?" he asked.

"Better now. The pain's gone, but I get tired more easily..." She stopped as she can see tears emerge in the old man's eyes. "Please don't be sad, grandfather, I'm not in pain anymore… That's good news, right?" she tried to comfort the old doctor.

But he just shook his head and hugged her. "I'm sorry… I've failed you," He almost whispered. "It's so hard for me to tell you this… I fear I can't have the cure ready in time. We still haven't figured out a way to transfer Shadow's immunity to you." He sniffed and continued. "And what's worse, you've spent almost your entire childhood without your parents for nothing…"

The little girl could feel a teardrop run down her cheek, and yet she wasn't the one crying. Although, she was rather depressed. She knew she didn't have much time left.

"There's still hope…" said a voice from the doorway. The two looked over to see a woman standing in the doorway.

Gerald recognized her at once. "Louise?"

The woman came over and kneeled down so that she would be eye-level with Maria. "I've found one last way. You'll think I'm crazy, but perhaps the only way to keep you alive… is to let you die." She then dug into her lab-coat pocket and pulled out a tiny glowing crystal on a string.

"Is that a Soul Catcher?" Gerald asked amazed when he looked upon it.

"Yes… the very last of its kind, as far as I know," Louise said and started to tie it around Maria's neck.

The girl looked in the reflection of the nearby window in admiration. "It's so beautiful… but I'm not sure if I can receive such a gift," she told them.

Gerald put her hands on her shoulders and stared at her in a very serious way. "Whatever happens, Maria, you must not take this pendant off. Will you promise me that?" he begged.

"I promise… but why would you want me to wear it?" her granddaughter asked, puzzled.

"Follow me, and I'll show you," Louise then gave her a signal to follow, and she did so. Gerald, on the other hand, stayed behind to write this info in his log book. As the two girls walked, the older one explained. "That pendant on your neck is a Chaos Emerald with a unique power… It can undo death. If you die before we can cure you, the stone will absorb your very spirit and soul."

They then walked into another room. The woman threw switch to show a large machine with two capsules, one on each side. "And once I put the finishing touches on my 'secret weapon,' I can recreate you in a new, stronger, healthier body," she said, trying to sound optimistic. "I call it, 'Project: Angel.'"

But Maria looked a little unsure at her. She wasn't sure what to think about the idea of abandoning her own body. But she did see one potential advantage. "One quick question… can you re-fabricate someone as a different specie with this machine?"

Louise thought for a moment. "That would be quite a scientific breakthrough. I might look into it." She then paused and looked at the girl in curiosity. Why would she ask that unless… "Why? Is there something you want to be?"

"N-no," she said nervously. "I was just curious…"

The scientist laughed. "You're a lousy liar. Do you know that?"

Maria simply blushed in response.

"C'mon. What is it you want to be?"

The girl hesitated, but answered. "A hedgehog… my biggest dream is to be a hedgehog."

Now Louise understood what this was all about. "Ah, I see… You wish to be a hedgehog and be with Shadow, huh?"

Maria nodded a little and blushed even more, feeling more embarrassed and very ashamed. She never wanted anyone to find out, especially not the boy in question.

The woman chuckled. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Maria. Love is a natural thing. It is, however, rare that it happens between species."

The girl kept quiet. She didn't look at her until she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"If it means that much to you, your secret is safe with me."

Maria nodded a simple nod to her promise to not tell a soul. She didn't want to feel more pity than necessary.

* * *

The former human girl wasn't sure how long they had been asleep, though one thing was certain. It was early in the morning, and she could smell herself. It was then she realized how long it was since she had taken a shower.

She looked behind her to find that she was still in Shadow's arms. Luckily, he had loosened his grip around her during the night; else she had to wake him up in order to get up. Maria carefully wrinkled herself free from his grip and got out of bed. She looked at him for a moment and grinned. 'What is it that makes boys so cute when they're asleep?' she thought to herself with a giggle.

Maria then started searching for stuff she needed for a well-earned bath. As she looked through the wardrobes, she was very surprised. Besides a few exceptions, they were unchanged. She yanked a bathrobe off the hanger and looked up at some of her very old clothes. She definitely had to make adjustments since her measurements had changed.

A small smirk came across her mouth when she saw a pair of Shadow's old shoes on one of the shelves with a couple of other things. "Guess he had moved into my old bedroom." Then she noticed a pair of bracelets, like the ones he wore.

They weren't just an accessory for Shadow's style. They were a specially built inhibitor to suppress his powers, keeping them at a safe level. Removing them would greatly increase his Chaos Control ability, but it would also be a risk to his own life. Since Maria could control this same energy, did she need them?

"Better safe than sorry…" She quickly snapped them onto her wrists. Then, she quietly left the room and headed for the bathroom on the other side of the ARK. Maria opened the water in the old bath tub, and to her relief, it was working fine, and the water is fresh and warm.

After having undressed, she carefully dipped herself in the tub. It wobbled a little since it was a very old bath tub on legs. "I needed this…" She breathed blissfully and started to relax in the water.

* * *

About a half-hour later, three Mobians: a chameleon, a bee, and a crocodile, came into Maria's bedroom. They were sent to wake everyone up so they could help with another setup. They found Shadow in bed, hugging the pillow, still dreaming of what had happened last night. "I really missed you, Maria," he muttered in his sleep.

"Charmy," the big green one instructed, "get me the peppermill."

"Can do, Vector!" the bee replied. No sooner had he left did he come back with one.

The crocodile cranked the knob over the hedgehog's head, and small black pieces of seasoning sprinkled on Shadow's face. The hedgehog inhaled the pepper through his nose, and soon let out a bloodcurdling sneeze.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" Charmy Bee instructed with a laugh.

Once he was fully awake, he glared angrily at them. "Can't you just use the alarm clock?"

"I feel your pain," Espio the chameleon jumped in. "Wait… Where's the girl?"

That's when Shadow realized he was hugging a pillow. He let go of it and looked around in despair. But Maria was out of sight.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. "What was that?" Shadow jumped out of bed to locate where it came from, and the other three followed.

* * *

Back in the bathroom, Maria lay on the floor shaking, and collected herself from the shock. She was in pain from the fall, but it wasn't serious. She was reaching for a towel when the tub she was in cracked and toppled over with a loud bang. The yellow hedgehog wrapped herself in the towel as she sat on the floor to recover. Suddenly, the door opened rapidly behind her.

"WHO'S THERE?!" A male voice shouted.

She looked up and saw a frustrated Shadow, who right away turned red in the head and locked the door shut.

"I didn't see anything! I swear!" he yelled from the other side of the door.

'Oh man, oh man, oh man! She's must be mad at me now!' The black hedgehog rubbed himself furiously in the face with his back turned to the door all embarrassed. 'Maybe I should help her…? No! I can't go in there while she's naked! But if I don't, she might think I'm careless. Oh, man, what should I do? What can I do? What's wrong with me?'

After quickly calming himself down, he realized the obvious solution. Carefully, Shadow leaned over and knocked on the door. "Are you okay in there?" He asked with an almost wet voice.

"I'm fine, but what about you?" Maria answered from the other side.

Shadow did not respond. Instead, he kept his back turned on the door, more embarrassed. He couldn't exactly run away from Maria and the ARK, since he thought she and the others would be trapped here if he just left them behind.

Soon, the door to the bathroom opened again. The young yellow hedgehog stepped out, wearing her bathrobe. Suddenly, he felt a hand rubbing him gently on the shoulder, which caused his cheeks to burn even more. "Shadow, are you alright?" she asked him worried. Afraid of facing her, he still kept his back turned to her. A small tear emerged, and he tried to cover it by blinking a few extra times.

A hand moved slowly to his face, and gently turned his head. The black hedgehog looked guiltily at her and then down at his feet. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, Maria. I thought you… I…" he tried, still looking down.

"Shadow, calm down. I'm not mad."

"But I–!"

She placed a finger on his lip, and he silenced. "It was an accident. You just came to see what happened. That's all… There's no need to feel guilty or ashamed."

The black hedgehog sighed with a small, innocent grin. "It's strange how you're always so forgiving," he said, "but… I've always liked that about you." They grabbed one another in a hug, and the emotion the black one felt for her grew stronger inside of him as he could feel her freshly cleaned fur.

All the while, Vector was watching them from the corridor. Seeing all this, he grinned slyly. "What do you know?" he mumbled.

Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee showed up. "What's up, boss?" the latter asked.

"Now I see why he's always jumping through hoops to keep his promises," the croc replied. "They should call him Shadow the Sly Dog."

Charmy glared at him in confusion as he continued.

"Shadow has a crush on his best friend. He ran off so he could be alone with her, and I'll bet he's gonna ask her for a date, or invite her to take a space-walk so they can gaze at the stars."

Maria let go of Shadow, took his hands into hers, and rested her forehead on his. "Whatever happened is past… Friends?" she asked cheerfully.

"Best friends," Shadow smirked.

She gave his hands a gentle squeeze before letting go. Then she went into the bathroom and picked up the dress she grabbed earlier. "This isn't sitting right, so I'm gonna try to adjust it. It shouldn't take too long…"

"Mmm, take your time. No rush," the black hedgehog said as he watched her leave. He then chuckled to himself. "If she isn't Maria, I don't know who is." With that said, he left in the opposite direction.

"Look at that…" Vector said with tears in his eyes. "Shadow's too shy and insecure to tell that girl how much he cares about her. I know exactly what that feels like."

Espio sighed. "Not again with his nonsensical drivel…" he muttered. He then decided he would put Vector's delusions to rest in the only way he knew how.

* * *

Later that same day, Maria was working on the dress she had picked, trimming it down to size. Once she tried it on for size, a pink hedgehog girl came in. "There you are," she said.

"Good morning, Amy," Maria replied in pleasure.

Amy quickly hugged her. "I was so worried about you. I didn't know you had recovered." She let go of her as she continued. "We finally found Shadow. Well, really he found us. Perhaps now we can figure out who you are, Angel."

The hedgehog girl paused. "Oh, I get it. You haven't heard yet, have you?"

"Heard what?"

"I already got my memory back. My real name is Maria."

Amy's eyes widened, and she quickly scanned the girl from head to toe. "Wait… you're not Maria Robotnik, are you?" she asked, and Maria nodded. "No wonder Shadow was actually happy this morning!"

The former human already knew where her friend was all this time, but she couldn't help but tease him a little. "Aww… did he miss me that much?"

"You have no idea…" the pink hedgehog was being cautious not to mention the ARK incident.

The yellow one smiled. "Well, out of all the people I could ask to still be alive, I'm glad it's Shadow. Under all that black and red beats a heart of gold…"

The pink one thought for a split-second, and smiled at her in a sly way. "Sounds like someone has a crush on her best friend."

Maria blushed bright red. "No! No, I don't!" she said, defensively.

Amy laughed. "You do! That's so cute!"

Her eyes widened, and she looked away, slightly more embarrassed.

"So, girl to girl, what's up with you two? Have you been on a date with him yet?"

"Well, no. He doesn't know…"

"A secret love? How romantic!" she teased. Amy smiled as she noticed how embarrassed she looked. "C'mon, there's no reason to be so shy." She then took her hand into her own. "Look, you're his best friend, and you're super cute. Shadow's the lucky one. I also have a certain blue hedgehog that I'm pursuing myself. I wish us both luck."

Maria smiled in thanks, and they both laughed as two close girl friends would. It was nice for her to know someone understood.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**Here We Go Again**

* * *

Later that same day, Shadow was in the kitchen of the ARK, making himself some soup. Chris was in there as well, working on his mechanical arm. The black hedgehog couldn't get his mind off what was to happen in the near future. The  
Kendov specifically instructed him to search their world for a force stronger than the Chaos Emeralds, but what was it? How would they find it? Where should they start their search?

As he pondered over these, Espio came in from behind. "Hey, Shadow. Can I borrow you for a minute?" he asked.

Shadow didn't respond. There was too much on his mind. He wasn't even focused on his lunch. After calling on his name twice, the chameleon whistled loudly, snapping him back into reality. "Huh? Wha…? You need something?"

"Ah, forget it. You've clearly got too much going on right now," Espio replied with a smirk. He then sniffed the air. "Do I smell smoke?"

Shadow glanced at the pot on the stove. Its contents were brown and emitting what the chameleon smelled. "Hey! Whoa! I-It's boiling over!" He tried to take it off, but it was too hot for his gloves to handle.

"You're burning the soup!" Chris pulled the pan off with his metal hand and started fanning it with a towel off a nearby rack.

"Sorry, guys. I guess I was thinking about Maria…" he lied.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Espio said. "Charmy and Vector believe that you have a crush on her. I can't convince them otherwise, so perhaps you could vouch for me?"

Shadow blushed slightly. It was getting harder to keep it a secret by the day. He decided they'd find out eventually, so… "If it were a crush I would have gotten over it years ago. She's the one."

"Really?" Chris replied. As the conversation continued, he glanced at his upgraded arm, and he thought that it was hands down worth it.

"I take it you haven't told her?" Espio asked with a smirk.

The hedgehog shook his head. "How can I? I've thought it all out, and it just wouldn't work. Besides, what if she doesn't feel the same about me?"

"Well, either way, you shouldn't cook for her," the cyborg human teased.

"I'm serious, guys. She's always treated me as a brother or some part of her family. Once there, it's almost impossible to get out. What do you say about that?"

Chris sighed and sat down next to him. "Shadow, like you, I believe in making my own destiny. But do you know what else I believe?"

The black hedgehog thought for a second, but he had not the foggiest idea.

"I believe that destiny and fate are two very different concepts," he told him.

"I don't… understand."

"I do," Espio cut in. "He means that while we determine who we are and how we are to spend our lives, there are still rare, unpredictable events that happen for a reason."

"Exactly!" Chris said.

Shadow shrugged.

"Wait, hear me out. You were frozen in a stasis tank for fifty years. Maria came back to life after just about the same time. And now, both of you are Mobians. Coincidence?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he glanced out the window, thinking about what they said.

"Look," the human continued, "I'm not saying you should just go tell her now. In fact, that's perhaps the last thing you should do. But at least think about it." On that note, he and Esio began for the door. Before he left, the chameleon looked back and offered another piece of advice…

"There aren't that many second chances in life. Try not to let this one go."

Shadow spent a lot of time processing what they said. Because she was always so sweet and loving, he had always felt drawn to Maria. Deep down, he dreamt of a long, happy life together, eventually as more than friends. Now those emotions were accompanied with a new one he never had experienced before.

The hedgehog also had to admit, those two were right about one thing. The specie difference wasn't an issue anymore. And in her new shape, she was just as beautiful to Shadow as when she was human… perhaps even more so. He had never before felt such a great desire for her… or anyone for that matter.

* * *

After a long while of staring at Earth and pondering, Maria's voice echoed through the halls of the ARK. "Shadow! Will you look at something in the Park for me?"

The black hedgehog snapped out of it. "Sure, I'm on my way!" He replied and in a zap, he was standing in the doorway of the Park. There, as he walked in, was the blonde hedgehog. "Alright, what is it you wanted me to see?" he asked calmly.

"What?" came a reply. "You said you wanted to show me something."

Suddenly, confetti started falling everywhere, and party favors were being blown. Shadow was lured over to a remake of the other night's surprise. Everything he had accidentally destroyed was restored, food and all. And unlike last time, Maria and Jack were there.

"Um… surprise?" Rouge said hesitantly.

"Look," Knuckles began, "we know you didn't want a party, but after last night…"

"We were hoping you might reconsider," Amy jumped in.

"You may not be crazy about your birthday, but we're all glad you were born," Sonic added. "So, what do you say?"

What could Shadow say? All this time, he had let himself to believe that no one cared about him. He thought he was doomed to live his life in the shadows as a solitary soldier. Not trusted or accepted by the people he actually protected and risked his own life for.

Their making his surprise party, not once but twice, made him realize that he was wrong. People did care about him. He smiled a little to himself as he responded, "We're going to need ice cream."

On that note, the Freedom Fighters either smiled or laughed in pleasure. Seeing Shadow like this was indeed something to be enjoyed.

"I told you guys a surprise party was a good idea," Knuckles said cheekily.

"Give it a rest," Tails teased.

Soon, the celebration was in full swing. The Freedom enjoyed the games and the banquet. Shadow received a few awesome gifts, including a brand new motorcycle that Sonic and Knuckles bought together. Everyone was having fun, especially Shadow, who it seemed was the most glad.

Maria then noticed the white bat with a rather large robot not too far away. "Who are those two?"

"They're friends of mine," Shadow grinned. He then brought her over to introduce them. "Maria, this is Rouge the Bat and E-123, or 'Omega.' Team… I think you know who this is."

"So, you're Maria," Rouge began. "Shadow told us a lot about you. All that trouble to trying to–!"

Before she could finish, Omega quickly covered her mouth with his gigantic, metal claws. "That is classified information."

But it was too late. Maria had become suspicious. "Shadow… what did you do?"

"Well… uh…"

All the while, the white bat was able to get out of Omega's grasp. "He became a G.U.N. commando."

This surprised Maria. But she was also relieved. "Oh. Well, that's good."

The bat turned to Shadow. "Would you relax? It's not like I was going to mention how you tried to avenge her death– Oops…" But it was obvious she said that on purpose.

Maria was now shocked beyond belief. "You didn't..."

"Hold on! I can explain!"

She sighed. "I told you before, 'help people and be friends with them!' I didn't want you to get revenge!"

"Neither did he," Vector cut in, catching her attention. "From what I dug up, you old man was torn up by your… uh, 'death.' He tampered with Shadow's memory… made him think you did want that. Shadow never wanted to do anything like that. He was just honoring what he thought was your last wish. In fact, when he got his real memory back, he stopped the whole thing and almost died trying."

The blonde hedgehog turned to the black one. "Is that true?" she asked Shadow, who quickly nodded in response. "You foiled your own plans… for me?"

"Well, you know I'm not one to go back on my word." Shadow's ears lowered. "Still… I'm sorry I ever did that. Can you ever forgive me?"

Maria smiled sweetly, planting a small kiss on his cheek. "What's to forgive? You were confused, but you did the right thing in the end. I'm proud of you, Shadow. And I'm sure grandfather is, too."

The black hedgehog grinned at Maria, then glared at Rouge. "Can I have a word with you in private?"

"Maybe later," she replied.

But Shadow would not take 'no' for an answer. He grabbed her by the ear and started dragging her away. Once he was a good enough distance away, he let go.

"What is your problem?!" Shadow asked out of irritation. "Look, I don't know what I did to you, and I'm sorry. But you didn't have to pull a stunt like that!"

"Yes, I did!" the bat said with a huff. "In case you forgot, Little Miss Goody Two-Shoes over there is a Robotnik! Her last living relative is public enemy número uno!"

"In case you forgot, Maria and Eggman are nothing alike! She's my best friend, and I–!"

"All the more reason to do that! I don't want to let that dumb blonde influencing you!"

"Influencing me?! Her return doesn't mean the end of our team!"

"I meant influencing you away from me!" Rouge covered her mouth. This time was unintentional.

Shadow was slightly confused when she said that. Then it hit him. All she had done to make him forget about Maria… joining his team, trying to cheer him up, always calling him 'handsome'… not to mention what happened just now. Shadow grinned slyly and crossed his arms. "Rouge the Bat, are you jealous of Maria?"

A slight blush grew on her face as she said, "Me? Jealous? Don't make me laugh! I just-"

"Don't want me to be influenced away from you?"

"That's not what I meant! I–"

Shadow interrupted with a chuckle. "Sorry, old friend, but it's as plain as the blush on your face."

The white bat kicked him hard, sending him flying like a football. It was just right for him to land clean on the birthday cake.

Maria instantly came to his aid. "Shadow! Are you okay?" she asked worried.

But what he said only put more stress on the situation. "That… does it!" He turned to Rouge in anger. "It's been a real kick having you around! But you better behave yourself, or I'll have to give you the boot!"

"I'm gonna keep pounding away until I got you tenderized," his partner growled and leapt at the two. "From now on, you're gonna respect me!"

Before she was close enough, a bubble of energy engulfed the two. Rouge bounced off the shield without causing any harm. The shield retracted itself, and Shadow looked to the source. He was shocked... It was Maria.

"Did... Did you just…?" the bat asked in surprise as she stood up.

"Yeah. I'm not as defenseless as I once was." The former human reached behind her back to reveal a Chaos Emerald. She then warped over to Rouge, who lunged at her. Soon, the girls were in an all-out melee.

As the others cheered for each girl, Shadow watched in admiration. He grinned as he thought of his vow to protect his best friend and secretly beloved. "This'll be easier than I thought," he muttered. But what happened next really surprised him.

Rouge suddenly spun and kicked the hedgehog's legs, knocking her down. Then she held Maria down with her heel. "This just proves that a blonde is no match for a bat," she chuckled. "So, do you give up?"

Instead of answering, Maria's dainty little body began to glow a red light. She drew her arms in as she began to pull her energy out.

Shadow's eyes widened. He knew what was about to happen. "Hit the deck!" he shouted.

The hedgehog girl released her energy in a strong Chaos Blast. Rouge was flung off Maria while the remainder were knocked off their feet. In seconds, the party was in ruin once again.

Omega, who was the last one standing, looked around at the mess surrounding them. "Such destructive power…" He excitedly approached Maria like a puppy coming to its owner. "I like you! Let us demolish things together!"

Maria stood silently, unsure of how to respond.

Jack was almost as speechless as she was. He had never seen anyone use Chaos Blast other than Shadow. "Wow! Since when could you do that?" he asked as he and all others stood up.

"I-I don't know… I guess after so long, some energy's gonna rub off on you." she replied. Then she remembered something. "By the way, Shadow, I hope you don't mind, but I took a couple of your inhibitor bracelets. This power's pretty dangerous."

"Right. Never hurts to be safe. But there one small critique I'd like to point out." This caused a little confusion. Maria seemed so adept using that Emerald. They didn't know what she did wrong. Then the black hedgehog smiled. "You might want to try shouting 'Chaos Control' when you do that. It'll really get you psyched up." He chuckled and held his thumb up for her.

Maria stared for a second, and then she giggled softly. "Right… I'll remember that…" The other Freedom Fighters laughed as well, seeing Shadow had a good enough sense of humor.

Omega, however, turned to the distance, weapons at the ready. "Hostile threat detected! Confirmed Eggman Empire radio signature!"

"Ivo?" Maria asked surprised, and they looked out the dome over their heads. Out in space, they could see a large head-like station facing the ARK. It was the Dark Egg, and it was only minutes away from the ARK. "They found us? How…?"

"Wait here and stay hidden. I'm going in!" Shadow instructed, and he was just about to race to the hanger when the former human girl grabbed him by the arm.

"No…" she said calmly.

"Huh?"

"I don't want you to fight…." She said and let go of him. "But I'm not ready to face my cousin… not yet anyway."

"Well, what else can we do?" Shadow asked her.

Maria thought for a split-second, and remembered what the Guardian Angels instructed her to do. She took his hands into hers. "Shadow… show me the world! Take me to where we wanted to go when we were kids!"

The black hedgehog smiled by her words and grabbed his Chaos Emerald. "Here's an idea. Follow my lead," he said, and she pulled out her Emerald.

They heard a loud bump when the Dark Egg docked outside the ARK. In the distance, they heard footsteps.

Using their power, Maria and Shadow held out their Emeralds to the other. "Chaos Control!" they shouted in unison. The energy from the Emeralds collided with each other, and through Chaos Control, a large portal appeared. Wasting no time, Sonic and the Freedom Fighters jumped in, and Rouge, Omega, and Jack followed. In seconds, it was only Shadow and Maria left.

But then, the portal closed. Neither were sure what happened or why.

"Daisy!" a voice shouted. Behind them, the two hedgehogs saw a man not too far away. It was Doctor Eggman. He looked as though he were weeping. "Thank goodness you're alright. I'm so sorry. I should've watched over you instead of letting three trashcans do it for me." He held out his arms. "Please, come home. Let's be a family again."

Shadow stood between the man and the girl. "Don't try to deceive us, Doctor!"

"Sh-Shadow!" Eggman replied, a poor tone of surprise in his voice.

"You have no desire for family. You only crave global domination. You're just going to mold Maria in your image to rule by your side. So just say you're going to destroy me to get her, and let's get this over with."

"Blast you, Shadow!" the man shouted. "Not only do you foil my plans, but you foil my acting as well! I worked hard on that scene! No matter. I WILL destroy you, and I WILL be victorious!" he announced. "Is that better?"

"Much..."

Suddenly, a multitude of monsters came in behind them.

Shadow was shocked. He remembered them from his restored memories. 'Oh, no. Not again,' he thought to himself.

"So I dug up these alien beings, and it turns out they can naturally neutralize all Chaos energy pulses. And I couldn't have that potential go to waste unless I sic 'em on you!" the Doctor explained. "Try to appreciate the work I put in as they destroy you." The creatures approached them slowly, many of them circling around to the back. In seconds, they were nearly surrounded.

The hedgehog boy quickly got an idea. He quickly grabbed one of the tables and swung it at the nearby monsters, sending them flying. Then he grabbed Maria's hand, and they ran for their escape.

The Dark Hunters simply watched them at first. But then… "Well? What are you waiting for? After them!" Eggman demanded, and the others followed.

* * *

While the halls and corridors passed by them, the Dark Hunters were quickly catching up to them. And Maria was quickly losing her breath. Despite being Sonic the Hedgehog's clone, she didn't have his speed or energy.

Shadow saw this. But he also noticed something past a nearby corridor. "The gun lift!" In a quick move, he picked Maria up and ran toward it. "Why didn't we think of this last time? We can ride this straight to the Escape Pod Chamber." After loading and launching, the transport moved along its rail at a steady speed. Shadow manned the transport's mounted cannon, and he blasted any Dark Hunter that came near.

Ahead, they could barely see the chambers. "Almost there..." Suddenly, Eggman appeared before them on his Egg Mobile, stopping the gun lift. Under him, an electromagnet held something large with metal claws, which was then dropped on the rail.

"Oh, and by the way, Shadow," he added, "I took your advice! Burn-Bot _**can **_burn things!" From each side of its torso sprouted what looked like a small cannon. From them, Burn-Bot shot a clear liquid at the platform, which started to dissolve. "Score one for nitric acid."

As the acid removed the platform, the rail it was on grew unstable as well. The gun lift began to shake and crumble. Just as last time, Maria shoved Shadow off the platform and onto the rail. If given two more seconds, she would've jumped to safety, but the rails around the platform gave out. The track fell into the abyss, taking a screaming Maria with it.

Shadow witnessed in horror. "NO!" he and Eggman shouted at the same time. Filled once again with grief, Shadow fell to his hands and knees, weeping.

The doctor growled as he approached the G.U.N. commando. "I hope you're happy. This would've happened if you had just handed her over." He turned to his forces, who had finally caught up. "Dark Hunters, tear him apart!" Four of the creatures quickly grabbed him, one holding each of his limbs. There was no chance of escape for him. "Wait... hold his head up when you kill him. I want to see the life leave his eyes."

The Dark Hunters did as instructed. Then, Shadow saw something that greatly surprised and enlightened him. Eggman didn't need to look to know something was behind him, but that didn't stop him from doing so. There, in mid-air, was a familiar Mobian girl with a huge difference. Out from her back came two white, feathered wings, which glowed a faint light blue. "Surprised? So am I."

"You can fly?!" Eggman bellowed. "That's impossible!"

Ignoring the doctor's remark, Maria held out her hand toward Shadow and the Dark Hunters. From a bright flash, a bow lined with gold appeared in her palm. Her free hand drew from the bow, and arrows of pure energy flew from it, slaying the Dark Hunters holding her friend.

"This will be _**much **_easier than I thought," the coal hedgehog muttered to himself.

The golden hedgehog then nabbed Shadow, and she flewtoward the escape pod chamber. Eggman retracted Burn-Bot with the magnet and chased after them. The robot launched all he had at them: flamethrowers, incendiary grenades, and of course its retractable claws. But Maria was able to dodge while it dodged their attacks.

Except for one... it landed on Burn-Bot's chest and it looked as though it were enough to make him fall. But the magnet was strong, and it sucked him back up.

This made Shadow realize something. "Maria! Hand me your bow!" His friend handed it over. Seeing how sharp it was, he slashed the cable over the magnet. Burn-Bot fell from the Egg Mobile for good, shatterring into a pile of scrap when it hit the rail.

At last, they made it to the escape pod chamber. Once inside, Maria and Shadow stumbled to the floor, and Eggman crashed, his Mobile rolling open-side over his body. The black and red one slowly got up and approached his friend. He held out his hand and helped her up to a sit. Then, despite all that happened before, they laughed. "Welcome to the Freedom Fighters, 'Angel the Hedgehog'," Shadow said with a friendly smiled and a wink. The two then activated the escape pod and climbed in.

Eggman, who got out of his Mobile two seconds too late, growled in frustration. "This isn't the end, you rebellious rodent! I'll be back for you! With a new robot... who has an accurate name… and super laser eyes… and he'll feed me ham! Evil ham…"

Shadow smirked as he held Maria closer. "It'll be a cold day on the sun when that happens, Doctor. I must commend you on your accidental success, though. Maria and I have some catching up to do." With that said, the escape pod released itself into the void of space, heading for the blue planet below.

Orbot, Cubot, and Makuta appeared seconds later. The last of the three stood in amusement as he watched the two chosen warriors begin their destiny. "Well played, Takanuva... well played."

Eggman turned to his partner. "Prepare yourself, Makuta. We will find them soon and very soon."

"No… we will be patient, Doctor," the elder brother replied. "I've waited decades for my revenge. I can wait a little longer."

"But they know I'm after her now. They'll be preparing for us."

Makuta grinned. "I'm counting on it…"

* * *

The next morning, back at Thorndyke Manor, Maria woke up early. Her head was full of so many thoughts about travelling the globe. She got up and moved out to her balcony just in time to watch the sunrise. While it was still beautiful, she couldn't help but think of the planet Mata Nui and the Guardians. She glanced at her wings, and thought of the bow she conjured. 'I guess that's what Takanuva meant by the "strength of the Kendov",' she thought.

Behind her, the black hedgehog carefully cracked the door opened. He wanted to check on his friend and ensure her safety. Seeing her awake and looking up at the morning star, he chuckled. "A completely new body, and you haven't changed a bit."

She turned to face him. "Not really… I still feel the same anyway." Her friend and secretly beloved came over beside her and leaned up against the railing. She smiled a small smile since she could spend a little time with him before their world adventure. But that soon decimated as something else came in to her mind.

Shadow turned to notice a slightly concerned expression. "You okay?"

"Not really," she answered. With one exception, she couldn't lie to him. "I've been stuck in a Soul Catcher for fifty years, and the world's so different now. We're in a war against my cousin, Station Square is now a city, and… you seem different, too. It's a good different, but... I'm not sure we're the same people I remember as kids." A couple small tears emerged from her eyes. "And what's worse: almost everyone we once knew is gone, and I'll never get to meet my parents."

Shadow placed a hand on her shoulder, catching her attention. "If you didn't save me, the world would've been destroyed. You did what you thought was right, bravely and boldly, and now you have a second chance at life with more friends, and even a 'brother' who care about you. Trusting your instinct is no mistake." He then wiped the droplets from her eyes. "By the way, I met your parents at your funeral. Your mother even told me she would've done the same for her husband, and vice versa. They couldn't have been more proud of you than they were that day. You're a hero and a role model to the entire Robotnik family... except maybe Eggman."

Maria smiled once he finished. "You're right, Shadow," she replied with a sigh. "It's funny. When we first met, I thought you were scary. But now… well… I'm really glad it was you."

"Maria…"

The hedgehog girl embraced the Ultimate Lifeform. "We'll always be friends, won't we?" she asked. "We'll keep looking out for each other and the world, and everything's going to be okay, right?"

The black and red one smiled. "Right." After she let go and turned to the horizon, he took a good look at her in her new form. 'Maria certainly is special… I only wish I could tell her how I feel,' he thought to himself, a small yet visible hint of pink on his cheeks. "You're so beautiful," he mumbled, absent-mindedly. He bit his lip as he realized what he was saying.

Fortunately for him, the girl misheard him. "Yeah, the sunrise really is beautiful. I feel like I could watch it all morning."

"So do I…" The G.U.N. agent shook his head. It was going to be a long journey in more ways than one.

* * *

**End of Part 1**


End file.
